The Withered Throne, A Cursed Land, An Enemy Of All
by Primordial Inscriptor Z-09
Summary: What was supposed to be an enjoyable game for hard core players turns into a living hell when Ten Million souls are trapped in a Death game... where you can't die? How will anyone escape, when everything feels so real, so...painful? Soul Art Online, Dying is a feature. Advanced!SAO.
1. Prologue

_It was hard to remember much about his past or even why he had come here, but he did recall the path that lead him here._

"Perhaps you've seen it, maybe in a dream. A murky, forgotten land..."

 _He was clothed in linen wrappings from head to toe to stave off the elements. It obscured his features with its protective coverings. To another person he'd just be a simple, lost wanderer, a stranger with no purpose._

 _The trees surrounded him like wolves cornering prey, helpless prey. Rain pouring down heavily as he trudged through the bogged forest, the land seemed to go against his every movement, resisting him, rejecting him for what he'd become. It was too much for his fracturing existence to bear, he simply wanted to rest, was that so hard to ask?_

 _Yet, even as he fell on his knees, and his stomach, the urge to go forward remained. The bogged rainwater mixed with soil to create viscous mud, filling his already filthy rags with more dirt. He was tired, restless, uncomfortable, and hungry all at the same time. The water seemed cold, he couldn't feel cold at all…_

"A place where souls may mend your ailing mind."

 _A vision filled his mind, even as his limbs tried their best to push his body upwards. A barren room, a rocking chair, wooden floor boards, a decrypt wooden door and, a woman with caring features only partly obscured from the hooded cloak she wore, her gaze focused upon a new-born cradled in her arms and wrapped carefully in linen. The details were fuzzy, grey and unclear, but something inside of him told him that this scene was important to him. He needed to grasp it and never let go…_

"You will lose everything, once branded. The symbol of the curse, an auger of darkness. Your past, your future, your very light."

 _The image melted away even as he tried to grasp it, its significance sifting through his fingers as if liquid. He knew then that something had been lost, and to find it, he needed to move forward. He needed to continue moving…_

"None will have meaning, and you won't even care. By then, you will be something other than human. A thing that feeds on souls, a hollow."

 _The withered old lady told of the prophecy even as he reached for the door. She continued her prophesizing, her weaving of threads, with fingers guided by wisdom and experience rather than sight._

 _She stopped her looming, raising her head to face him with eyes that clearly functioned no more, and told of a tale…_

"Long ago, in a walled off land far to the north. A great king built a great kingdom. I believe they called it Drangleic. Perhaps you're familiar. No, how could you be... But one day, you will stand before its decrepit gate, without really knowing why."

 _He rowed robotically over the still waters of the lake, its serenity leaving an air of forlornness about it. Ahead of him was his destination, a ruined arch of what must have been a wondrous gate. Its very presence made him imagine what Drangleic looked like in its prime: artistically carved towers made from stone, a castle built into a vast mountain, surrounded by a majestic view and perhaps even its namesake: Dragons._

 _The sky was cloudy though, almost hiding most of the blood-red mood from view, but as he got off upon the bone-yard grounds, the clouds parted. In its sinister light, a beautiful sight was beheld onto him at the centre: a barren tree with fire flies acting as its leaves._

 _The fireflies flew around randomly and some even landed upon him curiously, creating a calming view. This was not to last, however, as they began to fly in a massive swarm, through the gate-less arch, somehow lighting the torches at its side as they flew by._

 _Suddenly, the calm had erupted into a storm of skeletal phantoms, flying past from within the lake and through the gates towards him. They were frightening to behold, but the urge had manifested to an unbearable level. He had to move on._

 _He had to pass through the ghostly horde flying past him._

"Like a moth drawn to a flame, your wings will burn in anguish. Time, after time."

 _The little boat he'd come onto the island with was consumed_ _by the raging whirlpool that had appeared just at the ledge. It was violent and dark, but the fireflies had flown deep into that dark, watery abyss with little care._

 _His light had been dropped into the darkness. He'd get it back no matter what._

 _He jumped into that dark abyss, without a second thought of his survival._

"For that is your fate. The fate of the cursed."

 _Not like it mattered anyways…_

 _He was already dead._


	2. Say Goodbye!

Argus. It was a simple word, it was a name. However, this name carried a weight that no other name could possibly possess. Argus produced the [Nerve Gear] that utilized [Full Dive] technology to immerse the user in VR, making in indistinguishable from reality.

Soul Art Online was the product of Argus industries, and the brainchild of the brilliant Kayaba Akihiko using the man's [Full Dive] technology. A VRMMORPG of a new age, the virtual age.

Luckily, Kazuto had been one of the lucky few around the world to receive the full set of [Full Dive] technology installed into his room free of charge, courtesy of Argus Industries. The reason was simple, he had been a beta tester, and had provided a valuable sleuth of information about the game's performance to the Argus's Employees, giving them an easier time finding errors and correcting them before a fatal glitch could send the company sued for millions in damage at court.

Kazuto was your average game-loving teen. Having the technical skill to build a CPU that could easily outclass some of the top-of-the-line ones that were on sale for ridiculous prices. His love for games was all consuming, making him distance himself from both reality as well as those that weren't as hardcore as he was. This included his little 'Sister' Suguha, whom he only heard constantly practicing kendo, he rarely saw her in person due to his preference for locked doors and closed shutters when gaming.

His room wasn't that big, as it contained a CPU he built by hand, a bed, a dresser, a bookshelf, and a cabinet for his games. However, there was now a new addition to his room: The [Nerve Gear].

Rather than the simple helmet that he got during the Beta test, there was now a water tank, a body suit and the [Nerve Gear]. Kirito had read the manual and determined that the additional equipment was to ensure that players did not hurt themselves when gaming. The cylindrical tank had a height of 2.5m, a radius of 3m and had blast proof glass encasing it with a thickness of 1m. This vat was actually filled with nutrients that any active human needed to maintain a healthy body, the fluids were recycled constantly to ensure no toxins get leaked into it. The body suit acted as a layer to prevent the liquid from getting the player wet and keep the player buoyant for any movement they will make, its main function however was to simulate the stress the body would take by either restricting movement in a certain area, inducing pain from wounds or changing the resistance of the players movements to mimic the environment the player is in. The [Nerve Gear] was the main piece of technology however as nothing could run without it. Its form was streamlined into that of a small inconspicuous microchip attachment at the nape of the players neck that copied every bio-electrical signal sent and received by the player's brain, translating every movement done in real life into movements done in-game.

It was an ingenious system, which did not allow the body to atrophy so long as the player active while utilizing the [Full Dive] technology. Any physical and mental results gained in-game would be translated into the real life and vice versa. It was the perfect haven for any gamer immersed in their world.

Kazuto smirked, mentally praising Kayaba Akihiko for such ingenuity.

"Bye Nii-san! I'm headed to class now!" The voice ricocheted through his mind like a fiery dart, the guilt of distancing himself from such a warm girl shattering his train of thoughts. His face twisted in emotional turmoil, before he opened the window of his room that had a clear view of Suguha's current position. Judging from the direction, she must be at the gates.

"Suguha! When you come back, teach me some new Kendo tricks alright?" Kirito shouted at the top of his lungs, cupping his mouth with one hand and waving with the other at the retreating back of his little 'sister'. Kirito waited for any indication that she had heard… but she did not even pause.

His mood immediately darkened, hating to accept the fact that he probably deserved such a cold shoulder. He had been ignoring her for years now, how could he simply try to pretend like things never went south? What right did he have?

Deciding to drown his sorrow both literally and figuratively. First he made sure that the [Nerve Gear] was securely fasted to the back to the [Full Dive] suit, then he pulled off all his clothing, he then put on the suit, which seemed several sizes too large. However, it suddenly tightened around his body and molded itself to form a second skin. He flexed his fingers, amazed at the fact that he didn't even notice the suit. It was like a second skin.

Amazing.

Now he climbed up into the vat and dipped in slowly, trusting in his idol's instructions as he plunged his entire body in…and took a deep breath. It was probably the stupidest thing he could have done, releasing the precious oxygen he had and willingly filled it with an unknown fluid that supposedly had enough dissolved oxygen to keep him alive. Kirito waited several seconds.

He hadn't drowned. Kayaba just went up another notch in his mind.

Kirito observed as the tank sealed itself shut, pumping out any air and tinting the glass for privacy. The liquid was amazing! He could see with clarity even though he had no goggles, and the fluid tasted like… something that came from a glacier! He stretched as far as he could, yet he was unable to touch any part of the surface at all, the suit allowing him free range of movement while fixing him into the center of the tank. He was completely isolated.

This is just what he needed. He knew exactly what to say next.

"Link Start!"

Immediately he felt the world around him disappear in a black abyss. His senses being immersed into the virtual world, leaving reality in the dust.

WELCOME TO SOUL ART ONLINE!


	3. The King is Dead!

_**PLEASE CHOOSE AN ALIAS.**_

Without sparing a second thought, he mentally confirmed the name he always used when online:

 _ **KIRITO**_ _ **, IS THIS YOUR NAME?**_

 _ **YES.**_

 _Strange, where's the character creation page? They should have at least allowed me to import my character data from the Beta testing stage, right?_ Kazuto thought as soon as he had passed the name page. He had clicked next, but only a large box with a long appeared.

 _ **WE HAVE DETECTED YOUR PRESENCE IN THE PARTICIPATION OF THE SAO BETA TESTING, UNFORTUNATELY THE CHARATER DATA THAT WAS CREATED HAS BEEN CORRUPTED BY AN UNKNOWN SOURCE. AS A FORM OF COMPENSATION FOR THIS UNFORSEEN EVENT, YOUR NEW CHARACTER WILL RECEIVE BONUS IN THE FORM OF AN EXCLUSIVE ITEM THAT UTILIZES THE NEW [SOUL] MECHANIC THAT HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED INTO THE GAME TO PROPERLY COMMEMMORATE ITS NAMESAKE.**_

Kazuto, or Kirito as he was now known as, could only sigh in disappointment at the strange bug. He continued past the page with a mental swipe, lacking the virtual hands to do anything yet. _Well, at least I got something for all those hours I spent with my eyes peeled for bugs, glitches, experience and rare drops._

As he passed through the apologetic page, Kirito could already feel his virtual body come into existence. It was an odd feeling to flex his fingers while they were still forming, knowing your fingertips touched your palms as you curled them in, yet not feeling them at all until they were constructed.

Soon, his virtual body was finished constructing itself and he opened his eyes to find himself in a crowded area filled with players. Flashes of light indicated that players were still logging in, their bodies materializing into areas where there was enough space to fill. There would be 10 Million players squeezed into this town, unable to do anything but interact with each other until Kayaba personally appeared to greet the players.

Everything felt so surreal. He looked above him and saw the crystal blue sky, the lazy clouds drifting in formations reminiscent to animals he could place no name to. The sun seemed round enough from the corner of his eyes, and just as bright. He could sense his environment's cleanliness with all his five digital senses even with the millions of players mingling around him. This was the application of the life's work of a man known as Kayaba Akihiko, this was his paradise, which in turn, was Kirito's.

As Kirito looked onto the millions of players wearing the same starter equipment as him- a single layer of leather chest armor and a short sword- he noticed that he noticed an anomaly. It was a tall player, but he wore a simple ratty coat that covered the upper half of his face and exposed his large, but bony ribs and blade with a broken blade at his waist. Kirito felt a twinge of pity for the obviously malnourished player, and decided to do something. He looked to the player's head to locate the player's username in order to establish some communication. Maybe a tip or two, as he definitely never saw such an avatar back in the beta testing phase.

 _ **?**_

Kirito raised his eyebrows at the display wondering just how the system had even let him- he was definitely a male, no female would so brazenly display their chest! - select the characters. Ignoring the wave of confusion he got, Kirito stood in front of him to grab his attention. God he was tall! "Hey, I've never seen you before, are you new? You're equipment seems to be… really damaged."

"…" The malnourished man said nothing as he looked down at Kirito- who seemed to be only at eye level with his stomach- and pulled out the badly broken weapon in a large skeletal hand. Kirito was honestly surprised that the equipment had not yet run out of durability and vanished from the extensive damage it seemed to suffer. The hooded head shifted its position from Kirito to the broken sword before sheathing it.

He raised his right hand outstretched, and Kirito immediately took the larger hand in his own. The wordless greeting had been formed.

"It's nice to meet you! I don't really know your name, but I was a Beta Tester for this game. I like to solo the game and avoid other people, but… I just can't leave you in such a state! Keep close to me, I'll definitely help you out since its obvious RNG somehow screwed you over"

 _As much as I hate to admit it, such a possibility at the beginning of the game is really nothing to laugh at. Maybe Kayaba can answer a few questions for me once he come down…_

As if on cue, Kayaba Akihiko appeared in in the center of the town, hovering just above the 10 Million Players that were now in the game. He had appeared in a flash of light, the same as any other player when logging in, but he was dressed the same way he was in the pictures. The man wore a white lab coat with a brown tie. His face was rather plain, with brown eyes and black, short hair, you would never thing that such an unremarkable man could do anything. However, Kirito knew better.

Here, standing before them, was the King of Aincrad.

All thoughts of the RNG screwed-over player left his mind as Kirito immediately joined the throng of millions to worship the area that he was around. His mind was open to receive anything his idol might say. Some called him a fan boy, but he didn't care, he knew and respected the man for his amazing intelligence, no one else could tell him otherwise. Except if it was Kayaba.

Kirito never saw the said RNG screwed-over player, as he gave a silent sigh and turned away. It seems odd that no one approached him, that no one seemed even see him. The masses parted as he passes through, unknowingly giving him passage as they walked to their intended destinations. It was odd that no one noticed such a strangely dressed player.

It was odd, that two hooded figures found a connection that day rather than one.

"Attention, this is Kayaba Akihiko speaking to everyone here. Welcome to Soul Art Online!"

There was a thunderous noise as the town was filled with the cacophony of nearly 10 Million eager players. Everyone knew the man, they had to go through him first to get the [Full Dive] technology attuned to each of them.

"I have personally come in-game to greet all of you in this world I have created. I want you all to enjoy this world, but how can you enjoy it when you don't even know how to live?" Kayaba's voice was not magnified, but every player could hear it, form those in front, to those at the outskirts of town. "Therefore I have used my GM privileges to give bestow upon all of you a guide to SAO. Please look in your inventory."

The majority obeyed, summoning their menus before selecting the items that they had been gifted. Many were surprised at its contents.

"No way! It lists all the features in the Game?"

"Awesome! I don't have to fumble in the dark anymore!

Kayaba gave a smirk during the uproar, one that only someone attentive enough would have noticed… or a die-hard fan boy of his. Fortunately, Kirito was a very attentive fan-boy when it came to his Idol.

If there are any questions, please feel free to come and see me! I'll be here for-Oomph!" The stoic scientists was practically swarmed before he could finish his sentence. He was bombarded from all sided with requests and questions, using the privileges to fully answer the player's answer using the PM system. He was a programmer, and could type faster than he could speak, meaning he 'borrowed' the Cardinal to generate answers for more general questions, while personally answering the more specific ones.

The stoic scientist smiled inwardly, happy that his new residents loved his world so much! He had so much to show them-!

"Hello there Akihiko…" His mood immediately dropped like a rock upon hearing that voice. It belonged to someone he knew, someone he loathed. It came from the sky.

The players around him inched away in surprise at the sudden change in demeanor. His tone was cold and harsh, his frown was deep, and it contrasted sharply from the mildly pleased man moments before. Only Kirito seemed to be anywhere near the seething scientist. Everybody had their eyes glued to the same screen the scientist was staring rather hatefully at.

The sky had turned blood-red before anyone knew any better, and a screen that could cover the starting town was displayed for all to see. In it, was a live feed of a man that had slicked-back black hair, designer glasses, sharp features, and a blue business suit with a red tie. Beside him was a heavily modified [Full Dive] tank that contained a body… Kayaba's body to be exact. The man gave a viscous mirk before pulling out something that looked suspiciously like a detonator in his left hand. "Remember me? Of course not! You never will anyway in the next 5 minutes"

All the players were in shock, many of them had played enough shooter games to know that the man was holding a real-life detonator. Kayaba simply narrowed his gaze at the sheer amount of plastic explosives around his tank. Even the blast proof glass of the [Full Dive] tank couldn't withstand the 500kg of C4 placed around it.

"Just so you know, I've also started my little project thanks to you!" The man's smile twisted into something maniacal, he longer looked sane enough to be holding the detonator anymore, not that anyone in the unwilling audience ever thought that way in the first place. "And with this… I will perfect it!"

"I see" The stoic scientist summoned his GM powers into a debug screen in front of him. He knew he didn't have much time left in the real world, thanks to that deranged rival of his dangling the entire population of SAO on the line. All ten fingers typed dozens of lines every second, as he reprogrammed the game to allow the people that came into his world some hope of someday leaving, even if he didn't.

"Some last ditch effort to save your own hide Kayaba? I didn't know you were so cowardly!" The deranged researcher let loose an uncontrolled howl, his fingers had removed the safety cover of the detonator, revealing a bright red button. The thumb of the hand that held the detonator hovered tauntingly as Kayaba continued to type at an inhuman pace.

"Kayaba-sama…" The game designer spared a moment to see who had uttered his name with such mixed feelings of hope, sadness, and pride. It was a rather short boy with black pigmenting, a lithe build, and fair skin. The boy looked up at him with such large eyes.

Kayaba Akihiko smiled, he had no regrets at this point.

"I'll see you in hell Aki-fucking-hiko!"

All eyes were glued to the airborne screen as the madman pressed the detonator, which resulted in the complete obliteration of Kayaba Akihiko's personal [Full Dive] tank and his body through an intense conflagration. Every one watched the demise of their Idol's corporeal form.

All but one.

"Boy, look at me." The slight male immediately looked up, Kayaba smiled even as he observed tears begin forming on the boys eyes. He hadn't watched the screen, only him. "I don't have much time left, so take this. Don't ask, this will help you on your journey. One that I have unwillingly set upon you and your friends"

He smiled, feeling his digital body breaking down as he spoke. "This is a Crystal recorder, it contains everything you need to know for the long journey ahead. I'm not usually one to delegate tasks, especially my lifes work, but… I feel I can just this once" The taller man knelt down and placed an object into the boys shaking hands, ensuring that it was indeed received. "Don't fail me"

"I won't, Kayaba-sama"

As the dead man felt his thoughts evaporating, he decided to think just one last time. A random thought, something he hadn't done for a long time"

'I don't think I've ever smiled so much at a single person before-'

And that was the end of the man who was named Kayaba Akihiko, the King of Aincrad, and God of Soul art online.

Chaos erupted.


	4. A Meal is a Meal, Right?

The [Town of Beginnings], a starting town that all players within SAO takes their very first step from. It did not matter who the player was in real life, their political positions, jobs, appearances, physique, age, etc.… Here, everyone is as equal to another as the uniformity of the blades of grass in a paddy field, similar enough, but not quite the same. The town was designed to comfortably contain the entirety of the 10 Million players logged in there with, confusingly enough, room to spare. Restaurants, Inns, Shops, and vacant buildings could be found within the town, all of which sported their own NPC's to help new players be eased into the world of SAO, to help them start their new life in this his world.

Kayaba had thought of everything to make life easily adjustable. The proof? He had a Doctorate degree in Psychology just so he could understand how human minds worked and design his world to be different, yet seem favorably adaptable to any outsider. Once immersed, they would never want to leave ever again. This was just one of many things he had forced himself to pick up in order make his dream come true, Aincrad.

Now, it was almost useless.

As Kayaba's form disintegrated into data fragments along with his life, the world around him had taken a momentary silence, as if to pay final respects to their creator. Then, Lady Time had decided to let go of that period, allowing the inhabitants to erupt into a blazing inferno of activity.

This did not all come from Kayaba's death, although it certainly played a significant part. First: Kayaba's Death, and the very first name came to be engraved into the Memorial Stone, had occurred. Second a Mirror had appeared in front of every PC, somehow reverting their appearance to their real-world one. Last, was the sneering image of the well-dressed maniac that was now laughing in the screen above?

"AHAHAH! What a pathetic way to go, Stupid Akihiko!" Beside the deranged man was a damaged camera screen that showed what little remained of Aincrad's King, it was cracked and tilted from the force of the explosion, but otherwise operational. A dark-crimson splatter was all that was left within the destroyed room. "Now then, to all of you! Why don't you try logging out and calling the police? Surely you won't let me get away with such a thing?"

His voice was smug, his eyes glinting in a cunning way that betrayed his manic tones, there was nobody who could not see it, the taunt, for what it was. The confidence, that ego.

"I don't know why you're so smug, but you won't get away with this!" A random player said, he had the exact same starting equipment that everyone else had, his dark hair swaying as he declared the counter challenge. His blue eyes shone with a small light as he quickly brought up his hand, swinging its own with purpose. That same swing brought up the menu, a list of functions that most MMORPG's had, it contained: Contacts, Inventory, PC Status, Navigation, Quests, Soul Arts, and Log out. The bottom two were currently greyed out, but that didn't stop the spirited man from continuing.

He placed his index finger upon the button and pushed.

Nothing happened, there was no light or anything that indicated a Logout, and he was still there.

He pushed again.

Nothing.

"What…"

"Hahaha! Now you see? With that Stupid Akihiko dead, I AM GOD!" At this moment the formerly spirited man slumped down on defeat, his fragile hopes snapped like a twig. He slumped down in defeat, moving below the masses. "You'll never escape so long as I'm in charge!"

A man that has been broken, a man that has been forgotten.

Soon, panic began to spread like wildfire as other player's decided to try their luck and failed to activate the Log Out button. Above, Kayaba's killer smirked in satisfaction. He was not done though, not by a long-shot. "But, being the benevolent GOD that I am, I will part with a gift, enjoy!"

With that, the last connection to the outside world was cut off, the screen flattening itself into a thin vertical line that simply ceased to exist. The sun of SAO shone as brightly and uncaringly as it was programmed to, un-heeding of the true chaos that had erupted below.

"What, this isn't the face I chose?"

"Hey! Weren't you a girl?"

"My body! My perfect body!"

Echoes of despair and confusion reached back and forth, propagating from one mouth to another, and full blown panic attacks appeared in certain groups stampeding. It left them in shambles, 10 Million minds with little to fall back on. Only a few had enough fortitude to keep sane in this moment of sanity.

Kirgaya Kazuto, otherwise known as [Kirito], was one such individual.

As soon as he found his reflection staring back at him with a look of shock upon its admittedly delicate features, his thoughts turned towards a certain towering individual he had met not even an hour back. A flash of regret clipped his heart as he recalled how he had promised the poorly equipped player help… before immediately brushing him aside upon Kayaba's appearance. Out of everyone here that at least had some decent starting gear, that unfortunate player might as well have fought naked for its apparent effectiveness. None of that equipment would last a battle, let alone an entire level.

Then he had promptly abandoned the poor guy. Yeah, he really felt like a total bastard right about now for ditching the poorly equipped, albeit towering newbie.

Kirito knew he had to right this wrong, but first was a greater priority: like Kayaba's last message. It would be best to listen to that in a private room, preferably an inn. Which required currency.

Kirito sighed, "Well, might as well start grinding now while I'm at it…"

 **TWTACLAEOA**

The pair walked side by side, similar, yet easily distinguishable. Similar in the fact that they both chose to hide behind a coat that concealed several features, namely their faces. However, that was where the similarity both began and ended.

While one was slightly below average height, the other was far above even the upper limit of what should be possible. While one was female due to the slight curves that pressed themselves against the cloak, the other was obviously male due to the nearly exposed body. While one had equipment of acceptable quality, the other looked better off unarmed. While one seemed at least full of nutrition, the other was incredibly gaunt for their frame. While one simply shuffled, the other took deliberate steps that easily eclipsed three of the other's. While one followed… the other led.

"Where are we going?" They had been walking for what seemed like hours around town in what seemed to be circles, but her map showed that they were actually making their way into the training fields that had low-level monsters like [Wild Boar] in them. She knew this, yet it was simply too quiet.

She liked the quiet, a lot. But this was different, there was a difference between the utter silence when alone and that of company, the latter of which completely rattled her to the core. She had too much experience with that.

"Souls" He stopped as he replied, turning around to face her with his gigantic, if terribly malnutrition frame. His voice was raspy, weak and discorded, as if he had little practice in their usage. This was understandable, as SAO provided a full virtual body that was connected to the person's nervous system, copying and signals sent and received by the brain in order to move the PC avatar. In this case, a person who had lost a limb in real life would have it returned here, as if it was never lost in the first place. She assumed he must have been must in life, and in a game where 10 Million strangers gather, what were the chances of any of them learning sign language? Very little.

So he seemed to have adapted.

"Souls? Don't you mean Experience?"

"Souls, [Soul Arts]…" They passed by an NPC-run salon that offered customized hairdos, an NPC guard, and a NPC noodle hawker. She noticed the buildings got more sparse as they proceeded, and less pristine. They were close to the outskirts of the town now, further ahead was a field of green meadows.

They passed by a decrepit building that seemed on its last legs and tilted dangerously forward before stepping into the grassy fields. It was smelled fresh and clean, like negative ions saturated by a rhythmic rainfall, unmolested by human pollution that was over abundant in the modern world. Each blade of grass stood tall and proud, unkempt by lawn mowers as they gently swayed in the oncoming breeze. The wind itself carried these smells, sweet enough to tempt her into removing her hood so that she could feel such a freshness, so unlike her own home, upon her skin.

Almost.

In a short few steps in front was a [Wild Boar] Mob, its brown hide was lush and furry, its twin tusks gleamed a deadly point underneath the shining sun, its eyes shifted and narrowed into a challenge as it spotted them, or rather her. Its breath and stance became aggressive as it targeted her, and a small window opened up above it.

[Wild Boar] Level 1. A Solid Red Cursor appearing next to it.

As, she drew her own weapon against the creature, she knew that this was certainly going to be a new experience.

Taking her readied stance as a queue, the creature immediately charged forward with all its might, the pointy tusks clearly aimed to gore her on the spot. However, she too aligned her blade parallel to the ground and pointed to the charging beast. She pushed forward.

"[Linear]!"

As soon as she did, her body seemed to have a mind of its own, discarding her own terrible movements in favor of much more grace full ones. In moments, her body had taken a well-balanced stance and went past the mob in a single streak of light. Her body froze up immediately after as if holding a pose for a split second, before returning control to her. She looked behind, just in time to see the Mob's health empty out, and sighed in relief.

The body of the [Wild Boar] collapsed, a clean cut in it's under section quickly widening showing several slimy objects as well as blood spewing out in copious amounts. It was a gruesome sight of a disemboweled [Wild Boar]. She could not bear to gaze upon the sight as it progressed, and instead flipped open Kayaba's first gift to every player. The book which contained much of SAO's mechanics, she turned to [Sword Skill].

"[Sword Skills]: Sword Skills are activated when a player performs the appropriate «Pre-Motion» for a skill (such as raising a sword atop one's shoulder). As soon as the system recognizes the motion, the player's weapon begins to glow in a color specific to a Sword Skill. The player can then allow the system to take over and automatically complete the skill at a speed that is normally near impossible for a player to achieve and dealing much more damage than a regular sword swing.

After a skill is completed, the user is temporarily rendered rigid in a state called a «Post-Motion» ("After technique stiffening"), during which the user is made vulnerable to any counter-attacks. The higher the level of the Sword Skill used, the longer the «Post-Motion» period is.

After a Sword Skill has been used, the skill enters a «Cooling» period, which is displayed as a cooling icon at the bottom of the player's view. Until this period ends, the same Sword Skill cannot be used, however, any other learned skills that are not in a cooling period can still be used.

The amount of available Sword Skills and their type depends on the Weapon Skills that the player has trained."

She sighed, knowing how she could have messed up if more than one mob had decided to confront her. The second one could have gored her during her vulnerable state, but she was alive, and had received a good chunk of [Experience] of her efforts.

Noting the rustling of grass behind her, she was reminded of the fact that she was not quite alone in the area. She knew it was her titanic companion coming over, but for what reason? Surely he did not want to move just yet? She turned-

-and immediately wished she hadn't.

 **TWTACLAEOA**

He looked upon the dead beast as it bled out and wondered just where the Souls were. He needed to get stronger, he was promised…

" **The Souls are strong in living creatures such as this one. With your strength as pathetic as it is, you cannot simply absorb them. You must CONSUME the creature's flesh entirely to gain the Soul buried within"**

A voice whispered, the same one that had brought him to this strange land, just as the Kiln he had sacrificed himself to, simply extinguished itself. His own Soul had been drained dry, and on the verge of Hollowing. There was little he could do without any Souls left to keep the fire burning.

But then that voice came, so soothing and calm, something so nostalgic, triggered from a memory he knew was lost. It gave him comfort…and hope.

Now he was here, in this strange world. Where everything but combat was simply a single hand-stroke away in convenience. If he wanted to see what items he had on, he would simply brush down his right hand, wait for the light and pictures called 'Menu' to follow up, press the picture with 'Inventory' on it and wait for a picture to appear.

It had been so surreal at the time, interacting with the pictures hanging in the air. Simply exciting in a different way fighting a Silver Knight was. There was no threat of dying hanging over him like a titan, so he could do things he knew he had no liberty to do.

He enjoyed himself.

Despite the fact that he had lost all of the gear that he had accumulated throughout his journey towards the [Kiln], and was in a body he knew was too large to be his, with equipment better seen as garbage than anything useful. He wasn't upset at all. No, not by a longshot.

There were people here. So many people! He'd wanted to talk to them, to interact with them. It was so alive, with such a high spirited mood that he felt some kind of energy permeating the air. He wanted to so many things. However…

He could not speak

His throat was dry and withered from disuse. It had rotted away during his time in the Asylum, where he had simply lost his ability to speak after countless decades imprisoned within its walls. Yet the ability to comprehend did not leave him even after that.

Here, his body may have been withered and weak, but it was alive. He could sense things that his previously rotted nerves could not, smell things that his decayed nose did not, and even attempt to speak in a way his disused Vocal Cords has terribly protested in. It had hurt terribly.

It had been glorious.

But that was then, and now…was now.

He was hungry now as he stared at the rapidly cooling corpse of the beast that my strange companion had slain. She had done it with amazing speed, but that was a detail I discarded.

Hunger.

HE needed to eat, to get stronger. Flesh to strengthen his weakened, living body, and the Souls held within to gain greater strength.

" **Your body is large, but weak. You must consume and grow, else you perish once again"**

He did as he was told. He had no desire to die, especially if it meant returning as an Undead. If it meant he had to follow this strange, yet comforting voice, then so be it. He only hoped that his new companion understood…

 **TWTACLAEOA**

"W-what-!?" She stepped back, her legs shaking as badly as her stomach. She wanted to wretch at the sight, she wanted to run away at something she knew was a social taboo, yet she could not. All she could do was fall on her rump and watch as the [Wild Boar] was simply…consumed.

She could not describe it any other way. The gore was everywhere, each handful her companion took from the mob's innards spraying more everywhere. He shoveled each handful to where she assumed his mouth was, not even stopping to chew before swallowing the lump. Once done with the Innards, he proceeded to simply tear into the body [Wild Boar]. The bites were large enough that she could see the cleanly sheared off bone of the mob as he ate it. Bones, skin, fur, or meat, he was indiscriminate. In a matter of minutes, he was done.

Only now, was she free from the spell that had paralyzed her, only now could she wretch.

Only now, did she forgo that thought and _ran._

It didn't matter where, she just had to get away. The feeling of unease growing even as her 'companion' paused to look up, his chin dripping with gore from the recent meal. There was no time to consider anything other than… escape.

 **TWTACLAEOA**

He watched, disappointment filling him as his first companion backed away from him. It was sad, but he knew that it had been inevitable. He needed to get stronger, he didn't want to die again, not in any way. He'd pay any price for a different outcome.

" **Look, she flees! Because you were too weak to simply absorb the Souls. Do not be discouraged however, you simply need to be stronger, and then they will no longer leave you the way this one has…"**

Death and loneliness, he feared those two things. The voice said he needed to be strong…for what it never specified. It implied that it would heal him and strengthen him, but those were his own suppositions. It did not matter though, he would continue to feast until he was at full strength, maybe then he will no longer be alone.

Another [Wild Boar] wandered into the area just as he finished off his morsel. The beast growled, but he felt stronger already from the meal. He knew he could easily take it on.

So he did.

In one great movement, he took up his 'Sword' in a reverse grip, lunged at the beast and brought his entire weight down upon its head. With a satisfying crunch, the dead beast's head caved in, spilling its murky contents everywhere. The body collapsed in a heap of flesh.

The next meal had been served, and he devoured it whole. There were still more out there however, more for him to gain. He needed to eat more…


	5. Brotherhood

"…and that's how you use [Sword Skills], Klein-san."

"Oh, thanks for teaching us Kirito-san, even with the manual Kayaba-sama gave us."

There were two males standing in a field of half a dozen slain [Wild Boars]. Their corpses serving as practice targets for the flame-haired newbie and the black haired veteran. It would have been rather comical to see the tall newbie bowing to the shorter VMMORPG veteran in gratitude had the situation been less gory. The animals had yet to begin rotting.

Earlier, as Kirito began searching for a good area to begin his grind after clearing a previously known good spot, he spotted what appeared to be a cloaked figure sailing past him in panic. His first instinct was to grab to the fleeing figure and ask about the situation, but whether it was luck or skill, he had failed to take hold of anything at all. Then putting away his failure, he decided to investigate the source of the cloaked stranger's panicked state.

Kirito followed the trail, yet when he arrived at where he assumed the stranger had come from, he could only see a flat plain of grass sparsely populated with [Wild Boars] and a single, red-haired player attempting to score a hit with his sloppy strikes. Kirito doubted there was anything that could have incited such panic, but even if he wanted to search elsewhere, he could not.

The [Wild Boar] trotted to the side as the newbie clumsily missed his charge, the mob was not even registering the action as an aggressive and continued to wander aimlessly about. The newbie tried again and failed. It was really a pathetic sight.

Seeing such terrible handling of one of his Idol's dreams sent a spike of irritation into his own pride. He would not allow anything less than what Kayaba Akihiko intended his world to be. So Kirito decided to help the Newbie.

That was how Kirito and Klein met for the first time.

"So Klein, you've mentioned some 'pals' that you logged in with but were separated from in that immense crowd. Any word from them yet?"

"Before we dived, we each agreed to choose a username from our previous game. I've sent friend requests to those that I know, but only two of the group have responded… I just hope they've survived."

Despite being the more physically gifted of the two, his downcast features clenched fists and slumped shoulders gave the impression that he was far weaker than what he actually was. It was a look of worry that marred his usually smiling features.

"Hey, don't worry. At this level, no one could possibly die unless they commit suicide or do something equally dumb. Judging from you, I can tell that none of your friends would need to worry about each other if you are all hard-core gamers like me."

Klein hesitated for a moment before pulling up his features into a bright smile, most likely feeling more confidence from the praise splashing onto him and his friends.

"Yeah, thanks, Kirito-sempai," The larger male said teasingly, shocking the smaller, yet more experienced gamer with the honorific. That shock only lasted for a moment before morphing into a smile that would have captured the heart of any man had they not known it belonged to a male. It was thanks to Klein's thoughts of his friends that prevented him from paying much attention to what he was seeing, saying, or doing.

"Oh, my thanks to you Klein-kun"

At this, they both bust out laughing, temporarily forgetting about the limbo they were in. It felt good, Kirito decided, to forget it all just for the moment.

However, that moment was lost upon the appearance of a familiar individual that caused an arrow of guilt to pass through Kirito's heart. His laughter broke off, and his eyes were glued to the rapidly approaching figure. Klein noticed the abrupt halt and traced his eyes to where his new buddy was looking towards. His eyes almost fell open.

It was humanoid in shape, but the sheer scale was almost impossible to believe. The fact that it was wearing some form of degraded protective gear and a broken sword proved that it was not a mob, or at least not the humanoid one that would probably show up much later. The gear looked several sizes too small, and that was merely due to the sheer height of the player. His build suggested that he could be very powerful if he even reached a tenth of the potential his body allowed. This player was much taller and had much broader shoulders than any bodybuilder he had come to use as his model. Despite the utter lack of muscle and his emaciated form, his rapidly closing charge towards their direction was indeed frightening.

 **TWTACLAEOA5**

Slowly, a conclusion began to form in Klein's mind, a probability that this frighteningly large player charging towards them might be… a Player Killer.

"Kirito-san, come on let's get out of here!"

Klein's previously stored blade was now fully drawn, getting into a stance that would allow him to launch his [Reaver] onto the possible Player Killer. Even with such a terrifying build, he doubted that it would hold against a fully charged attack. But what was more than that was the mind-bogglingly number of exposed areas that could be chosen to strike at. The ragged armor covered little else but his, modesty and heart. The cloak he wore served as little more than an improvised cloak that despite its apparent wear, shadowed his features completely.

Now they were only several a dozen meters away, and Klein saw that the prospective Player Killer was not charging at them, but rather at the [Wild Boar] that had simply run under his legs in with a terrified squeal. He gave an equally fearful yelp as he felt just how close his crotch was to being rammed had he been any shorter. This, unfortunately, caused him to lose his stance in favor of covering his groin, thus nullifying any preparatory advantage he might have had.

At last the figure slowed down his steps upon sighting them, or rather Kirito if the immense amount of focus he felt radiating from the emaciated titan to his new friend told anything. The once thundering footfalls fell silent as if a landslide had finally reached its plateau.

He was covered in a lot of blood, so much that it soaked his already dirty rags and too-tiny equipment a rusted color as well as a metallic smell. The nonchalance way he moved despite being covered in enough to blood to make Klein feel sick showed his desensitization to it.

Judging from the strange expression Kirito looked to the bloodied giant, Klein concluded that his new friend had some connection.

"Hey Kirito-sempai, do you and this… guy know each other?" Klein dropped his stance, but his blade was still out and ready to be used. The newbie looked to Kirito and saw his normally calm visage in a shade of guilt. He wondered if something had happened between the two before.

While Klein tried his best to process what was going on, Kirito was having trouble coming up with an answer to his predicament. Here was the RNG-screwed player, his equipment looking even worse for wear than before, his leather chest piece had lost its right side and only hung by the remaining left strap over his heart. His leather-padded pants, which were intact before, was now so shredded that in only served to protect his decency. His bony legs were covered in many deep gashes and even a protruding tusk. Kirito didn't need to see his health know that it was not in the best condition.

And it was all because of his negligence, this had happened.

Kirito finally broke out from his stance and moved forward, he brushed aside Klein's alarmed yelling. The Newbie meant well, but he had to do this alone despite how he felt.

He approached the bloodied player and waved his right hand to reveal the menu visible only to him. He marked the player in front of him and entered the trade request.

 **SENDING TRADE REQUEST TO [?]…**

 **TRADE REQUEST ACCEPTED.**

 **WHAT DO YOU WISH TO TRADE?**

Immediately opening his inventory, he spotted the most unusual item in his possession, the only thing he knew that summed up all of his time in the Beta of SAO. It meant a lot to him, but he was the one in the wrong, so hopefully it would be enough. Items and experience could always be re-earned, but friendships did not have such flexibility. He hoped it would convey his sincerity. It looked to me a dark mist that ate light as it pulsed, there was no description to it, only a name that gave him terrible vibes.

 **ARE YOU SURE YOU WISH TO TRADE THIS ITEM?**

Yes

 **TRADE CONFIRMED, NOW TRADING [KIRITO]'S [DARK SOUL] WITH [?]'S [100 COR].**

 **TRADE SUCCESSFUL.**

For a moment, they stood there, frozen. Kirito might have imagined it, but he might have seen something bright reflecting from the dark hood, like reflections from water… tears?

"Look, I'm sorry I abandoned you before even though I promised to help you. That item I got was a gift from the system for my participation in the Beta testing. It means a lot to me by the way, so I was hoping you would accept it… like what Kayaba-sama would have wanted"

"Thank… you…"

His voice was deep and resonating, but cracked and raspy, so much that in hurt to hear it at all. It was obviously painful to even speak, then why do it, when a nod would have sufficed?

Perhaps he was once a singer who had lost his voice…?

 **TWTACLAEOA5**

While Kirito wondered about mysteries he would be better off not knowing, the target of his thoughts was doing something else. Examining the Item he had been given, holding it as if it would fly at the slightest breeze.

" **The Dark Soul, Ah this brings back memories… but that does not matter, what does is recovering your strength! Do you want these people to run away from you like that girl did? From your repulsive weakness?"**

No, he didn't want that to happen again. He remembered the terror upon her features as she saw just how weak he was, then she had run from him, from the bond he wanted so much to keep. He remembered back before he came here he had various people that were comfortable with his presence, but that was only after he had saved them. He would not have done so had he been any weaker.

He had concluded since then that to acquire bonds, he himself must be strong… lest they hollow themselves. Hollowing meant weakness, he did not want that. He had to be strong, **"Yes, become strong, stronger than anything! Strong enough to crush anything that gets in your way! Anything that would stop you from keeping your friends… Now, drink"**

He did not know who the voice was, or what it wanted, but it had led him to this pleasant place. A place so full of life… where even someone as repulsive as he had been given a gift.

Something felt like it was about to burst within his chest. It was an unfamiliar feeling, something other than apathy and depression, it was… lighter. Like it wanted to come out of his mouth. He wanted to express his gratitude for this gift.

Why this person had expressed an apology, he did not know. To him it was natural to ignore the weak, they were repulsive and insignificant. He did not blame the small one for the dismissive attitude. That simple act of kindness meant more to him than the object itself.

And for the first time in a while, the guiding voice was silenced.

No, rather than that, it seemed muted, as if some insulating layer had been placed upon his mind. He could not think for himself when the voice spoke, only follow. However, the sensation of choosing his own thought and actions… was so alien after such an extended period of time not having freedom.

It felt good.

" **This Soul is strong… you will return to your strength before you re-kindle the flame should you consume it."**

He gave it some thought, judging his current abilities and what he could have.

On one side, due to his weakness, he had formed some kind of contradictory bond with people he knew were stronger than him. On the other, his first companion in this world had abandoned him when he revealed his ugly weakness. Then there was when he could be strong again…

Perhaps he needed to rethink his mindset, perhaps this world needed a new perspective to look at things.

Choosing to tuck away the [Dark Soul] away for now, he decided to take on a new approach. He just needed to start over, in every sense of the word.

" **You choose to discard such a quick method of gaining so much power? Useless fool! Perhaps when you wizen up, we shall speak again…"**

Suddenly, there was a feeling of lightness, as if something oppressing had been removed from his heart. He also felt very alone for the first time since exiting the extinguished kiln. With this new form of revelation, his mind was no longer so clouded. He could remember more, faces, deeds, words, names…

His name.

Yes, he needed to give this person his name, but first a greeting.

 **TWTACLAEOA5**

Kirito's thoughts came to a halt, as he noticed the awkwardly proffered hand in front of him, m. It was at least three times as large as his, covered in cracking gray skin, and skeletal-like. It was also oddly positioned at his eye level and tilted to the right. It was like seeing a bad imitation of an action only observed but never practiced.

He made an awkward laugh even as he reached for the too-high hand with both up his, clasped it, brought it low and shook it. At first he felt some resistance, but then it became assisting as the hand followed his movements after a bit of lag. Some of his anxiety went away upon a realization that the terribly tall person in front of him was socially awkward enough to not know a proper handshake.

"My. Name. Is. Ki-ri-to. Un-der-stand?" He said things slowly, ensuring the tall man understood him. He didn't want to insult the intelligence of the person in front of him by assuming him an idiot, but it was better taking things slow rather than a hasty conversation where nothing went across, besides the guy seemed uneducated in social matters if not in combat. "That. Is. Klein."

Kirirto pointed to both himself and a rather guarded Klein, still had not sheathed his blade while wearing a very anxious smile. He raised a questioning eyebrow to the red-head, who shrugged, and finally put away his weapon. The veteran then pointed to the larger newbie.

"Who. Are. You?"

The bloodied and broken half-blade disappeared into motes of light. Now all their weapons were gone, they were all equally standing together.

"I… De-sruc…T'naig" He finally said responded, his tone somewhat clearer than before as he swung his arms to his chest. Perhaps it was due to disuse that his voice had fallen to such a terrible state, whatever the case may have been, it seemed to be getting better. "I… understand… you… no need… speak… slow."

"Ah, that makes tings much easier then!" Kirito visibly brightened, and upon seeing this, Klein relaxed greatly as well. "Would you like to join us? If we are to escape this place we have to work together"

"Ah, why don't you join us? I'm meeting up with my friends later. They're all veteran gamers, so I'm sure it would be quite beneficial for you right?" This time it was Klein who spoke, his expression devoid of previous distrust. This was a surprise for Kirirto, but also a very pleasant change in attitude. It meant that things would go much smoother.

"I… Join… You?"

The sight of such an imposing figure acting bashfully would have been hilarious had he not looked so terrifyingly capable of taking their heads in hand and pulverizing them like grapes. So, as Desruc looked around in uncertainty as if the answers would reveal themselves from thin air, neither of them laughed. They did currently reside in the world where holographic screens could pop up at will yet invisible to other people.

"I… Join… You…"

Though his face was obscured in shadows from the ragged cloth and height difference, Kirito felt focused upon. This sentence was a statement, unlike the previous one where there was a palpable question mark at the end. "I see, that is good. Now let's head back to town. I'm sure we've farmed enough resources to last a while."

 **TWTACLAEOA5**

Later on the group of three entered the town, where they or rather Klein and Kirito did, while Desruc followed- searched for a general store to sell their miscellaneous drops to.

Eventually, they found an NPC merchant, a man in patched clothing and dark circles under his eyes that looked like he needed more sleep than they ever would. As soon as Kirito made eye contact with the NPC for more than a single second, the game code triggered the response, and the NPC became focused upon them. "Hello and welcome to Parches' General Goods"

"Sell" At this, two windows popped up. One showed his inventory, the other showed the items he would like to sell. It was a good way to review a sale, so as to prevent an accidental sale of some good items. He placed all the [Wild Boar Hide] and [Wild Boar Horn] items into the window and pressed the 'Confirm' button at the bottom of the screen. In return, he gained a total of [50 Cor]. He sighed, it was only just enough for renting a room for the night at the inn. He hoped his new 'friends' did better, especially Desruc. God only knows he needed better equipment or at least a decent weapon!

Klein went next, "Well [30 Cor] Isn't that bad right"

Finally Desruc. "… [20 Cor]…"

Kirito glanced towards each of his companions in frustration with a hard decision. They only had enough for two people to rent a room, and he definitely needed his to watch Kayaba's message. It was selfish, but a choice had to be made.

"Renting a room here costs [50 Cor] per person for one night, and we only have [100 Cor] between us…"

"So one of us has to forgo sleep tonight huh?" Klein finished, he did not seem at all worried for some reason. His eyes rested upon Desruc's tattered equipment for a moment before hardening into some resolve "Kirito, since you're the leader of our little party, why don't you rest up? Must have been tiring teaching us Newbies while it may have been easier to solo. I think we can agree on that right?"

"Agreed" Desruc's words were like a hammer striking judgment, they were raspy, yet carried a finality to them.

"Ah, thank you two! Then what will you be doing tonight? It's getting late already" Kirirto pointed out tot eh setting sun, which was somewhat irritating to everyone but Desruc, who seemed to gaze at the bright light source for Aincrad.

"We'll buy some proper equipment for our new friend here, then head out for some more farming. Who know? Maybe a different monster appears at night? I'll keep you posted" Klein waved casually at said rugged equipment. He then began heading off. "Come on Desruc, let's visit than NPC smithy there, maybe we can get you a proper weapon that actually fits you"

Kirito waved them away, feeling less guilty than he knew he should be. This was however for the best, needed the secrecy. Maybe if he had to share the information it would be different, but Kayaba Akihiko had entrusted this task to him.

He needed to find out why…

 **TWTACLAEOA5**

"Hey, watch where you're swinging that thing!" Within the confines of a weapons shop, a frustrated rant could be heard coming from the place. The store was rather small, with sample displays hanging off walls, and its real stocks only accessible through initiating a dialogue with the NPC store owner within.

Previously, they had gone to an armor shop to purchase proper body armor, however for some odd reason the NPC had simply refused to even look a Desruc, as if intentionally ignoring him as much as possible. The NPC also seemed terribly agitated, an incredible feat of personality programming if there ever was one. Despite such realism, however, Klein was terribly irritated that he had to buy the terribly overcharged starter armor package- he knew this due to having this very shop earlier. Now rather than [10 Cor] for a whole set of [Poor Leather Helmet], [Poor Leather Gauntlet], [Poor Leather Greaves], [Poor Leather Sabatons], and [Poor Leather Breastplate], he was forced to pay [40 Cor] for it. The price was absurdly exorbitant for the most basic of equipment, in most games such basic equipment was laughably easy to acquire and had no sellable value at all. Then having to trade the items to his oversized companion, he witnessed them rapidly degrade just after fitting to Desruc, their durability apparently having been used up to 'stretch' and properly fit the new frame.

He was surprised that the items simply weren't scaled to individual player's sizes, maybe it was to add more immersion, but right now it served little more than shredded wraps of leather preserving his modesty. [40 Cor] gone down the drain for nothing.

He was frustrated, but was he angry at Desruc for the ruined Armor? No, he was not. It was his decision to spend the money, only he could shoulder the blame. But what could he do with [10 Cor]?

Maybe a [Weapons Shop]?

Now here they were, or rather he was, looking at the rather well made blade. It was no simple blade, it was a Greatsword, one of the heavier weapons in the game, and no matter how strong you were, swinging around a slab of metal weighing almost a dozen kilograms almost as big as you were was almost impossible leverage-wise. It had cost a mere [5 Cor] for the [Poor Iron Great sword], it was so cheap that he began suspecting that Desruc had something to do with the price change earlier. However, he dismissed the thought and traded the weapon to Desruc who stood just outside the shop this time around.

Klein was soon after quite pleased and moderately afraid at how easily he swung the [Poor Iron Great sword] with a single hand as if it were a simple short sword, the movements were clumsy and uncoordinated, but they made the weapon seems far lighter than it should have been. Desruc may have been anemic as a stick, but his large and skeletal figure bellied great strength. Absentmindedly, he wondered just how strong if he wasn't just stick and bones.

"Hey, watch where you're swinging that thing!"

A clumsy test swing within a shop probably wasn't the brightest things to do, especially in a town of almost Ten Million where anyone could have wandered into the shop. Yet that was what had happened.

An unlucky player had entered the shop alone, he had brown hair styled into multiple tetrahedral pyramids at various areas, an annoyed expression that seemed ingrained into his features and wore starter gear much like everyone else did. Now he was flat on his ass after having narrowly avoided being hit by the clumsily swung blade.

The Player would not have been hurt, he would not loose [HP] due to the [Anti-Criminal Code Effect Area], but rather felt the pain that the blow would have delivered as. Having something as large as a great sword swing at your head would certainly hurt if anyone at all managed to survive such a fatal blow.

It was understandable why he was currently glaring daggers at the accidental offender despite their height difference.

"You…! How dare you do that to me! Don't you know swinging around weapons could hurt someone" His ranting began drawing a crowd, and people who were previously happily passing through simply began to gather around? "You and your ridiculous height, it can't be natural! You must be using some kind of secret from the beta testing stage!"

Where before people never seemed to notice his existence, not they were all pointing and delivering hushed speeches. Klein had noticed before but never bothered to ask just why this was the case. Why no one noticed Desruc despite his odd size unless someone pointed him out or revealed himself by doing something out of the norm.

Like swinging his Great Sword around with abandon.

Great, how were they going to get out of this one with such a hot-head in their way?

Finishing up his purchase, Klein went over to the arguing to settle matters. However, he found that the cactus-styled man was still in his endless rant, spewing insults and baseless accusations one after another. From the slight tilt of his head, Klein could see Desruc was terribly confused about the situation.

"…therefore you should hand over all your things as recompense for those that suffered here!"

Wait, did Klein just hear that right? This bastard wanted to extort his friend!

Before he had a chance to come over, he noted the familiar hand gestures of a trade being made between the two of them.

"Well what is this garbage, I told you to give me your stuff? Not useless pieces of trash! That sword looks good, give it here!"

Now again before he had even made a few steps, he saw the dammed extortionist making a sequence of gestures that indicated a trade request. Now however he saw that Desruc did not move his unarmed hand to confirm the trade, nor had he unequipped the blade for the extortion.

Instead, there was a terrible sound of metal forcing its way through leather armor. Then the Cactus man was on the ground, his armor cleaved cleanly in two, showing unharmed flesh beneath. On top of the wheezing man, Desruc crouched low enough that his weapon now rested upon the extorters flesh. From the way he was wheezing, it seemed he was in great pain.

How? He didn't even blink, yet in a single instant, his companion has shifted from one position to the next. As if the world had briefly stopped for the time needed in that instant…

What could this mean?

 **TWTACLAEOA5**

Desruc knew he was in trouble as soon as the brown haired man began shouting at him. It became even worse when more people gathered. He did not do well in crowds.

"…therefore you should hand over all your things as recompense for those that suffered here!"

The brown haired man wanted his things as reparation? That was fine, he had no need to items that were nearly broken anyway. He hoped the man didn't mind.

"Well what is this garbage, I told you to give me your stuff? Not useless pieces of trash! That sword looks good, give it here!"

He saw Klein at the edge of his vision walking towards them. He glanced to his blade for a moment and remembered that Klein had bought it for him. It had been a gift, and something he treasured. The other items had been as well, even if he had given them away, he hoped they would have better use when not in his hands.

Instead, they had been insulted, spat upon, trampled.

He did not mind attacks to his person. He held nothing of value, and those he did were not his to call his own. It would only sully them with his weakness. That was why he could not give the sword, it was not his to give, and it was Klein's.

There was also the fact that this person had just trampled upon the precious, albeit ruined, items he had handed over. The gifts Klein had given to him and had been sullied by his use.

There was no way Desruc was going to let something like that pass without his say on the matter.

In a moment of resolution, Desruc decided this man had to disappear. It didn't matter if he died or run away. He just never wanted to see his face again.

So, he brought up his weapon from its resting position in one hand and brought it down in a single, terrible cleave. He lowered himself as he did, putting weight on the blow with one hand while the other slammed into the ground for balance.

The strike was fast and brutal, tearing open the protective gear the man wore with ease. Yet the man himself remained unharmed. Why? Why did he not disappear out the door, or into a fine paste of gore?

Perhaps he needed more strikes to get his point across…

"Hurt. Klein. Disappear!"

 **TWTACLAEOA5**

Klein could only watch in both pride and horror at the devastatingly savage blows that rained down upon the already unconscious player's motionless form. Despite having just a hood and loin cloth covering his large, skeletal form, his brutal blows made him look more formidable than a normal fully armored knight.

Pride at the fact that Desruc recognized the value to their admittedly brief connection enough to protect it. They might have almost gotten off at the wrong foot earlier today, but that was hopefully history.

Horror upon the unrelenting savagery of destruction raining upon a single area. Everywhere he looked upon the one-sided beating, purple hexagonal screens displaying [Immortal Object] appeared. He didn't even know that was the case until now! That meant that the rain of blows was hard enough to activate the game coding to prevent damage to the area.

Finally, he had enough, they did not need any more attention. Besides, he felt extremely nervous and confident at the same time right now.

"Desruc, Stop! He's already unconscious!'

The scolding seemed oddly to work. The anemic giant stopped his incessant beating, showing the extortioner in little more than the standard loin cloth all male characters wore when essentially naked. All his equipment was gone, destroyed in the vicious beatdown, only his sword remained intact and strapped to his back.

Desruc's weapon was intact but fared little better than the intact equipment. It looked ready to break… just after having bought it as well.

Ah well, they would get another one later, for now the needed to leave.

"Come on, let's go"

"Spiky man?"

"Leave him, I think he's learned his lesson for now" As he saw Desruc follow behind him, he noted that the crowd began to part visibly. It was nice having attention, but this kind… was not the one he sought. "Come on. We'll need to get you some new gear that can fit, and for that, we need [Cor]."

"Kill. Sell. Buy?" He sounded like a simple-minded giant, but Klein knew he was much more complex than that. He just needed some more practice to get used to speaking once again.

"Yes, come we still have the night to spend farming"

And so, the two bonded through the night of much digital gore and death. It had been a short display of, might, but it been able to convey something that mere words never could.

A brotherhood had been formed between the two.

 **A/N: I am proud to say that I was the first to come up with this crossover and implement it! I am happy that there are more Crosses in SAO, DS! Anyway to those of you who are confused as to how Kibou's (If you have not figured out who was being beaten to the ground, then now you know!) equipment breaks, please remember that in SAO towns, equipment will take damage when attacked, even if HP does not decrease. In here, I changed [Pain from the force of the blow that did not damage HP] to [Pain from damage that should have damaged HP].**

 **Also, my OC is the CU that chose to link the flame. Had his soul withered away, resulting at the end of the cycle before the new CU could be picked up? 'Saved by a mysterious voice, and led to SAO'. Now as to why my Character is some sort of half-giant that looks as if he is on permanent drug withdrawal and starvation, as well as having an inferiority complex. Please remember that Souls do strengthen the body, so I thought 'Hey, if they can do that, why not make them bigger, like all the giant enemies that have slain me and I've slain so far? Since I'm essentially stealing their strength right?. I thought their multiple sources would be a source of great strength, but also imbalance due to some of their opposing natures, causing the huge, but a sickly looking frame.**

 **Anyways, I'll be focusing on this from now on. The Peerless Blade is still undergoing revision as of now, so don't expect any updates very soon!**

 **Let me know what you all think?**


	6. Forging a Path

The next day came when the sun peeked up over the horizon. At this time, many players would still be sleeping, or begin waking up due to the set alarms they had set the night before. Sleep was comfortable, but ultimately optional. One could simply keep moving throughout the night and their only limits were themselves, biological functions like that excreted biological waste did not exist, but build up form dirt and grime did exist to create discomfort and only bathing would get rid of the constant irritation. It was most likely a compensation between getting attacked while busy, or cleaning up.

This was something Klein learned the hard way after a night of slaughtering [Wild Boars]. At first it had been so exhilarating killing and farming away, but at some point while the corpses at his partner's side seemed to disappear as soon as he averted his eyes, those on his side remained. This mysterious build-up of corpses on his side eventually led to him slipping and bathing face down in digital gore. When he did get up, he found himself incredibly uncomfortable, with itching sensations in places he didn't even know he had. That and all the corpse he was laying in were gone, even the one he had initially stepped and tripped on. It was strange, but he simply assumed it was away for the game to clean up any unneeded excess data. It would indeed be odd for a dead body to simply disappear in front of one's eyes.

More importantly, however, was the itch.

Oh the all-consuming itch!

It was everywhere he could reach and could not! In places he would never reach in public, ever despite the severity. Yet here he was reaching to relieve this fierce attack on his flesh.

Suddenly, a notice screen came out in front of him, it read:

 **CONGRADULATIONS, YOU HAVE UNLOCKED THE HYGENE MACHANIC OF SAO! TO USE THIS FEATURE, THE PLAYER MUST HAVE ENGAGED IN PHYSICALLY UNHYGENIC ACTIVITES, THIS WILL THEN TRIGGER AN UNBEARABLE ITCH UPON THE PLAYER THAT CANNOT BE RESOLVED BY ANYTHING OTHER THAN A HYGENIC BATH IN AN ESTABLISHMENT. SHOULD THIS NOT BE RESOLVED WITHIN THE HOUR, ALL EQUIPPED EQUIPMENT EXCEPT WEAPONS WILL BEGIN A SLOW DEGRAGATION AND ACCELERATE WITH GREATER AMOUNTS OF UNHYGENIC ACTIVITIES.**

 **GOOD LUCK STAYING HYGENIC!**

Klein aggressively cancelled the message. He was itching all over, he had no time to read or think anymore. He needed a bath this instant! They did farm a lot right?

In a blink, Klein ran off to grab a shower.

Had he stayed, he would have noticed his partner had bulked up a barely noticeable amount. Had he paid more attention, he would have noticed the huge weapon he held as easily as a toothpick begin creaking as the large hand clenched around its hilt tightly.

 **TWTACLAEOA**

"Klein…Go home?" The question was said out loud, but it was more to himself than the empty surroundings. The sun had peeked over the horizon over an hour ago, lighting up the very isolated area. This revealed that Desruc was completely alone, only bloodstains from his recent feeding remained. He looked down at his bloodied-stained, tattered garb and then at the pristine weapon in his right hand. Disappointed, he sat down, and waited.

Memories began to trickle in.

During his travels in Lordran, he discovered many things, like how no armour could be even better than the heaviest set when it comes to evading traps and sure-kill attacks, how the one who looked the most reluctant to befriend were the greatest companions, and those that were eager…

Well, he remembered Patches.

What he did not find useful there, was clothing. What use did regular clothing have in combat if all it did was weigh one down when wet? Unless it was enchanted of course, but the less about what was left of Princess Dusk, the better…

Armour was practical, efficient and rugged. Damage would be mitigated should any weapon that would somehow find its way past his guard. He always carried a shield, for a perfect parry or block, he was usually fast on his feet, preferring to strike at their sides or from an opportunistic ledge. Light to medium armour was his preference, but now with such a clumsy form in complete anti-thesis to whatever fighting style he once had, he had to start form the ground up.

The only upside he could think of was the sheer durability, leverage and strength the new frame of his body provided. The Great sword he held in his hand felt more like a terribly balanced, over extended throwing knife, and for all its effectiveness, it still felt alien to his previously well-honed reflexes. If he was going to fight more effectively, he would rather have one that had weight and balance.

Still, this was a gift from Klein, and he would always treasure it, no matter how terrible it was. He just needed to get a better weapon, but where? Perhaps Klein would know.

In the meantime, there were some wolf-like creatures some distance away. Perhaps they would help build up his body now that he got almost nothing form these [Wild Boar] Mobs.

Now Klein wasn't around, he had no need to hide the strength that terrified even himself.

Then, the memories escaped him like the sifting sand…

 **TWTACLAEOA**

"Klein, Desruc, where are you two?" Kirito palmed his face in exasperation, even as he called out to the masses just outside the inn he had stayed for the night in. He had been so eager in reading Kayaba's message that he had forgotten the most important to teach the complete newbie, even if he was scarily enormous, the presence of mind to check his messages. He knew this due to his own experience as a newbie himself, as well as the reason he went solo in most games, it was hypocritical he knew this, but it was practical.

Drawing down his master hand, Kirito opened his recently updated list of friends, deftly typed in a message and forwarded it to all friends, which of whom consisted of Desruc and Klein. This was his sad truth, the result of his reluctance to be more active in garnering support, he did not regret it however, only the strong could hold up Kayaba's last wish.

Kirito did not regret recruiting the two to his side. They were definitely inexperienced compared to him, but one was far more mentally mature than him, and the other outclassed him in every physical aspect. They were strong, but he wasn't foolish enough to think they would be enough. He needed more, if only there were a gathering of willing individuals that he could discretely pick out potential candidate from-

"Attention! Attention! All Players that wish to escape this place are to assemble at the Centre of [Town Of Beginnings]. The Boss Room has been Located! I repeat the First Boss Room has been located!" It was a random non-descript player that passed the message, shouting for all to hear. Kirito would likely be unable to remember the man's face, but the sheer hope and upbeat tone he exuded as he shouted those words, Kirito would never forget.

It was likely that such an announcement attracted much attention, and if he was right, it would attract the attention he wanted. Powerful players that he wouldn't usually meet, would come to see what the ruckus was about, and so would newbies. He would blend in just fine, so long as nothing disturbed his surveillance.

The town square was it? It wouldn't take too long to reach that area on foot. He might as well wait for a bit to let those that would come gather.

 **TWTACLAEOA**

Klein ran for dear life. He didn't care about the curses sent his way as he shoved NPC and Players alike aside in his mad rush to find the inn Kirito had rented overnight. In there was a certified shower, in there lay his salvation from this terrible itch wracking his entire body.

If he remembered correctly the inn was right around this corner-

"Ah Klein! There you are!"

-smashing right into Kirito's slight form at high speeds. They both fell away in great pain whilst taking no damage to their HP. Klein wasted no time in recovering. He NEEDED that shower immediately, so he did the one thing he thought would soothe it.

He looked at Kirito and spoke in the calmest tone he could while ignoring the itch pervading his form. "Kirito, have you… checked-out of the inn yet?"

The effeminate boy looked confused for several seconds before shaking his head.

"Nope. Since our rooms lasts 24-hours, until the we are automatically checked out I figured we could leave it in case there was something we needed to do in-"

In a puff of smoke, Klein had disappeared and left Kirito hanging.

The older male never did find out what his younger partner wanted to say. He was too busy enjoying the utter relief the shower brought him in melting away his itching status. It would certainly be a while before he left the bathroom.

 **TWTACLAEOA**

Within the centre of the [Town of Beginnings] a gathering was taking place. Players from every race, class and levels were gathered, and in the middle of it all was a blue haired figure that radiated a knight-like charisma. He stood tall and unwavering, his bronze armour fitted him as well as any fairy tale knight would, his smile charismatic enough to draw the attention of those that passed by despite their reluctance to join the address.

He stood, smiled, and waited. It had only been several minutes since his own return to the town. The Labyrinth having been mysteriously cleared where just an hour ago it was filled to the brim with various mobs, traps and loot. Even the Field Boss had been cleared out, all that within his one hour break. He knew only one other Player that had such ruthless drive in completing the game, his unknowing rival…

There!

Despite only being ten minutes since his messenger had run off, he saw the face of his fellow Beta-tester trying to inconspicuously slip into the crowd. It was kind of cute, the way he scanned the crowd with scrutiny, as if looking for something. It would serve him well, only he knew his fellow beta-tester had cleared the place thoroughly enough to easily map out the Boss room within minutes of sprinting through.

"Well then, I won't waste anymore of your time! I am Diabel, and I consider myself of the Knight Class!"

There was a wave of light hearted laughter, everyone knew it was a joke since SAO had no such thing as a class system. It was a good way to humour his guests as well as introduce himself. The role-play Knight, Diabel.

"As you already know, from the message that inevitably drew you all here, the First Boss room has been found" This statement drew a chorus of mutters, up until a louder shout silenced them all.

"Ha! You expect me to believe you, a Beta-tester?" A player with brown cactus-styled hair, and terribly- patched up leather armour interrupted. "See my equipment? Do you think those low-level mobs outside could do this to me? No, it was a beta-tester with some sort of hack that gave him unreal advantage over me as he mercilessly beat me within the town yesterday night!"

"Oh? Could you describe your assailant, perhaps we could aid you?" Diabel's charismatic offer immediately put him in many people's good books, even the rude man began to calm down.

"You're different from those Beta-tester… sorry about that" The rude man apologized, but his hard features remained " If you're going to help, then listen closely as I tell you what he looks like alright?"

"Of Course" There were various nods of agreement from the ever-growing crowd. His outburst had gained much more attention to the mob mentality. Crowds attract attention and vice versa. Soon the crowd would swell to sufficient numbers.

"He was really big, like larger than life-large. He wore patchy, ragged clothing over his head and groin. Then there was the Great sword he used to smash me into the ground, he used only one hand."

The mutterings intensified and words like "Monster" and "Freak" were tossed freely around. However, nobody seemed to be able to pinpoint the assailants' source.

"Oh, and he had this Spiky red-head with a bandana guy following him around"

At this description, there were several shouts, both in surprise and recognition.

"Klein?" This particular shout came from an overweight young man wearing spectacles in leather armour. He was in the centre of a particular dressed group that had bandanas on their foreheads. From his peripheral vision, he saw Kirito immediately freeze up to the mention of the name. Perhaps they were related?

Ah well, it didn't matter he got the crowd he wanted. The mysterious assailant could be put off until after his marvellous victory!

"I see, your group, knows this 'Klein' then? If so please contact him immediately to come here. I will continue with the discussion, and settle all matter and reparations after wards, is that fair?" He saw the cactus man calm down, and the bandana group shrink away into the crowd. Only Kirito seemed to panic. "Now then, if we are to defeat this Boss…"

 **TWTACLAEOA**

As soon as Kirito heard Klein's description, as well as a group that dressed similar to him yell his name out, he paled considerably. His thoughts went into overdrive, conjuring up ways he could use to save his friend from possible lynching.

It was interesting to note that Kirito only registered Klein, when Kibaou had clearly stated his as an accomplice. Something he subconsciously took note of.

However, the panic lasted only several moments, as his eye caught a hooded figure trying to seamlessly blend into the crowd. This made the slender figure stand out even more due to the lack of cloaked figures in any of the areas, and the fact that no one seemed as shifty as it did at the moment. Judging from how many low-levelled players showed of as much of their equipment as possible, he could only assume the cloaked player had something far more valuable to hide from the public, which to his opinion was something worth noting.

Another figure caught his eye, a large, dark-skinned man with an impressive, but still comfortably human, physique. He was a head higher than most of the adolescent crowd, and the intimidating way he folded his bulging muscles made for quite a sight. His expression seemed far calmer than what he expected a man with such a physique to have. He was definitely someone to look forward in working together with.

Kirito's attention flew back into the conversation just as he heard the ending of the discussion.

"… into a Raid Party. Now go to your assigned groups!"

Groups? Had he been wondering for so long now that he had missed the talk completely? This was not good, his cover could not be blown, not yet, not until he had sufficiently procured the members the party Kayaba described!

However, before Kirito was a bale to react, he was left alone, a singled individual… as well as the individual in the cloak. They were the only two left remaining that were without a group, and none of the five or so other groups called out to them whatsoever. It was unfortunate that the large man, 'Agil' was the word he heard thrown around repeatedly, was not singled out as well. He did however make some progress, perhaps it was better to recruit this figure first?

Calming himself down, he rewound the words: Baby steps, Kirito, baby steps. Patience.

 **TWTACLAEOA**

She smiled at the admittedly cute boy reaching out for her. Her first experience in a team could hardly be called normal, it was a good thing SAO did not have dreams, or she would be having inescapable nightmares for days on end. He had been left out as well, one without a place here. Like her.

Deciding to grace him, she slid off her cloak and smiled, enjoying the star struck manner he stared at her as he waited for her to accept his party request.

[Asuna] is now in [Kirito]'s party.

"Now, lets' head off" It was cute the way he followed her like a lost puppy, the delicate features he had were also a bonus. It was nice, but she knew that allowing this to continue would make her more like… him.

Asuna shuddered, she wished that her previous companion would come and rip her fiancé… on second thought, nevermind. She didn't hate him that much, yet. Still the very notion if similarty made her sick.

"Kirito, do you have a plan to deal with the [Ruin Kobold Sentinels] Diabel set us to deal with?"

This sudden question seemed to snap the cute boy out of his stupor, he shook his head like a wet dog and blinked several times, likely in order to recall her previous question. To his credit, it only took a split second for him to look serious.

"Diabel is a good strategist, as he knows where to place his men where they will shine the most… but we both know that a [Ruin Kobold Sentinels] can hardly stand against the both of us. I'm sure he does as well…but, I'm not too sure." His face morphed into a pondering one, a serious glint in his eye. "We could always help finish off the other [Ruin Kobold Sentinels] when were done and deal with [Illfang the Kobold Lord] rather than sit back."

"It would be rather boring to just let everyone else do the work" Asuna bounced back the idea, finding it refreshing that she had someone she could talk equally to without repercussions. "But what if we mess up the rhythm of the battle?"

"[Illfang the Kobold Lord] will change attack patterns once he reaches his last health bar and goes into the red. Their rhythm will already be disrupted. No one notices when two drums join an already chaotic music band."

"I see, I hope Diabel won't be too mad at us!" They shared a light chuckle despite knowing they would most likely part ways the after the battle. They were Solo-Players after all, and it would make the separation more painful had they just silently worked side by side to defeat the boss. She knew, but this was her chance to embrace the freedom from her real life problems, if it hurt later on, she was content to know that it by her own decision that it happened.

A press of a button sealed their destiny.

 **A/N: Short and unsatisfying, I know. Let me know what you think.**


	7. Betrayal and Truth

**A/N: As I said, I did go through some major revisions about the plot of my OC. Reveal: He is no longer the CU of DS, but an OC from DS3, this plays an important role in later chapters, this will not conflict with the flow, assured. Enjoy!**

Desruc squatted down on the grassy field a massive tree supporting his weight as he leaned against it. It was quite a sight to behold, with the ground littered with the remains of the relatively strong creature that commanded multiple underlings. He had easily dispatched them and consumed the rabble of [Kobold Commander] and its group. Compared to his days in Lordan-

- _a creature of grand stature sat on his immense throne, large enough to be a comfortable home on its own if used as such. The magnitude of the furniture was not due to the owner's ego, but out of sheer necessity, for he was surely immense enough to warrant a furniture of such magnitude._

" _My son"_

 _His voice reverberated throughout the expansive throne room, it was both Spartan and grand, due to its magnified architecture but scarce décor. The great rectangular great shield rested on his left while a great machete rested on the right side of his throne. Both weapon and shield were of immense proportions and dealt an equal amount of destruction._

" _Father"_

 _He was kneeling down in a bowed position of respect, beside him was a much smaller man in strange bulbous armor that did not kneel. Instead, he let out a ponderous hum while sipping on an unknown beverage_

" _Would you go tell your mother I will not be joining dinner tonight? The unrest grows for my Linking and-"_

 _The large man- no giant's deep voice softened into a pitiful whisper. Ironic, considering his size._

" _Ho! Old friend, do not be pressured! I will have your back whatever you choose to do!"_

 _The strangely dressed man raised his jug in a toast-_

-no, not Lordran. What was that place? It felt strange but pleasant, far more than Lordran ever did. As Desruc attempted to recall that flash of memory, it seemed to slip from his mental efforts, as if guided away from him. Surely not possibly.

It was a strange moment but it had passed. It was time to focus back to the present

He looked down at his own body, noticing a world of difference now that he had feasted thoroughly on the creatures of this place. While his body was initially emaciated, bony, rock-skinned giant, now that he'd put on some bulk, things looked far better. Now his arms had thickened enough that his sinew no longer showed, his legs actually looked like they could perform a small leap instead of limping and his torso no longer showed his ribs. He wondered what this face looked like, but since there had been no reflective surface so far, he had no chance to do so.

If he hadn't had a look at his own face, why should he let any strangers do so?

" _-let your wrappings off, my son. What mother would I be, if I could not gaze at the visage of my son?-"_

His ruined [Poor Iron Greatsword] was clutched in his hands, nearly broken from the force of his single handed swings at any beast that dared impede him, bringing their still warm impaled corpses to his mouth to partake of sustenance. The gore no longer bothered him anymore, while initially slightly unpleasant, it was quite a normal part of the scenery now to him after felling and feasting on hundreds. It would break soon, but the items that the creatures carried were far too small for him to use at all.

[Congratulations! Due to the successful repetition of a sequence of actions, a new skill has been created. **Scavenge** : Enemies killed will have a greater chance to drop rare items. In addition, eating defeated foes will yield an HP restore and boost past maximum HP equal to 10% of the enemies maximum health]

The message came abruptly, but he dismissed it just as fast. He had more things to think about than a simple message.

It would be far better to sell them for [Cor] and purchase utility items or a weapon that could withstand his blows. Health restoration items were out since he could not use them, only through feasting on the fallen could he heal and grow stronger. **Scavenge** would certainly be useful

Seeing nothing more the area could offer him, he decided that it was time to return to enter the previously guarded doorway. Perhaps there was something for him there?

 **TWTACLAEOA**

Diabel hummed as he led his raid party of upwards two hundred volunteer players toward the boss room. Using the carefully mapped direction collected from constant scouting partied to determine routes that avoided the patrolling enemy and getting the jump on unwitting mobs that they did encounter. Not a single person had been even scratched thus far, making his worries disappear.

Initially, he had been worried at the mechanic change, particularly the disabling of the pain absorption that mitigated the pain to the point that it was tolerable to move even after having a limb lopped off. As well as the very real possibility of death.

Now, he was far more confident with an entire army at backing him up. Besides, no one had actually gotten so much as a bruise so far at this point. The possibility of his death was quite low.

"Hey Diabel" The Knight was interrupted from his train of thought when the cactus-styled player that mouthed off earlier jogged up to his position. The 'knight' turned to the rude player and gave him his charismatic smile. It would not do to lose any form of support now. "Remember when I told you about that asshole that assaulted me?"

"Yes… Kibau?" It was a half response, half statement as Diabel had not really thought to remember a name of a small fry. Thankfully, the cactus idiot took no notice and nodded at the acknowledgement. The blue knight inwardly patted himself for the save. "Why bring this up when the boss room is right around the corner?"

"That" The cactus brunette pointed a bit further ahead, and Diabel could make out a figure in the distance in rags and swinging a sword at _suspiciously_ tiny mobs. As they got closer, Diabel began to have an inkling "That guy is the asshole that beat me up and smashed my hard earned equipment!"

"I see, is there something you expect me to do about it?" As they continued to walk closer, his inklings evolved to strong suspicion that there was danger ahead

"Of course! We need to end that menace right here, right now! Who knows when he'll do what he did to me to somewhere else, outside a protected area?" The man was almost delirious at this point, and the knight barely kept his eyebrows from rising. He could see the fear glinting off Kibou. "We need to kill him before he stabs us in the back!"

Getting tired of the cowardly rant this player was giving, and noting the somewhat consenting mood he had put his little army in, Diabel decided to concede. The Idiot may be a coward, but he sure knew how to rouse the masses, an aspect he sorely needed for his future plans. For now, he would concede, after all, what was one player's life compared to that of his glory?

Nothing.

"Alright, we'll take him out, but after the boss fight. We need all the damage we can get" That seemed to calm Kibau down somewhat as if speaking about backstabbing a fellow player to death did nothing but gain approval and consent. Despite his own callousness to his path to glory, it seemed slightly unsettling to see other people aligned to his mindset about what was expendable, ironic really. "Think you can hold back until then?"

A vicious smile graced across Kibou's lips.

Unknown to then, four pairs of ears had caught the snippets regarding the plot for premeditated murder. These four subtly began to slow their pace, allowing others to overtake them and cover their disappearance for a while.

It was quite fortunate these four had the thoughts that ran along the similar lines.

 **TWTACLAEOA**

"Hey, Kirito. You heard that?" Klein asked as soon as he saw his first friend come out behind the crowd with who he assumed was his partner for the mission. The fiery bandana player had no mirth in his eyes or tone. His fists were clenched and shaking. Klein was pissed.

"I did, and so did my partner here" Kiirito gestured to his cloaked partner. "You don't think that…"

"Indeed. I was there when your big friend acted up" A new voice interjected, and Kirito saw the well-built player approached them from the side. The dark skinned man raised his hands in a placating manner. "Don't worry, I know who's really at fault here"

"Klein,dammed" The red headed bandana player said, initiating a sequence of introductions.

"Agil" The dark skinned warrior replied.

"Kirito" The swordsman added.

"Asuna" The cloaked woman finished

"As much as I know it's wrong, I can't help but notice were practically outnumbered in opinion fifty to one" Agil stated the fact and everyone accepted the facts, they were certainly outnumbered. "I may not know your friend very well, but I'damnedbefore I let such an obvious plot to take a life pass by me without doing anything! So, any plans?"

"We'll have to get a warning to him without being noticed somehow. There's no way we can defeat the odds as we are." Asuna said initiated the thoughts, "We have to create an opening to escape"

"Chances are we will be caught, there's no way we wouldn't with this many people." Klein contributed "We'll need an escape route as well should things go sour"

"I have teleport crystals, here" Agil then proceeded to hand out a [Teleport Crystals] to each person. This shocked them as the price for these things were exorbitant

"Agil…" Kitiro reached to give him some recompense, but the large man waved him off.

"If I can save someone, a few thousand [Cor] is nothing"

Kirito nodded in thanks, and attempted to put a plan together using the information he'd gleaned from Kayaba's last message the night before. He failed once, he would not do so again.

As they began putting together a plan of action, they never noticed that their subject of conversation approach the Boss Floor.

 **TWTACLAEOA**

Desruc sized up the door he stood in front of and effortlessly pushed it open. He slipped inside and saw it was dark. Taking several steps, the lights flickered on, creating a massive headache to form as he took in the multi colored walls.

There in front of him was [Illfang the Kobold Lord], a large creature that sat on a wide chair at the end of the hall. It had red skin and protruding belly, which apparently hid its surprising swiftness as it picked up its weapons and proceeded to rush him.

Desruc met him head on, and saw the Kobold Lord's choice weaponry was a buckler and an axe. The creature roared, summoning a dozen of what appeared to be armored Kobolds called [Ruin Sentinels]. He was outnumbered, but could not retreat due to his own momentum, the only way was forward.

Finally the two met and Desruc noticed his more wry frame was half again wider and head and shoulders taller than the creature when he wasn't slouching or bending over. He noticed four green bars appear over the creature's side and his own showing one that wasn't all the way full. They locked weapons, his began chipping first, and his bar was steadily dipping as the smaller creatures took shots at him -

" _Get up, you need more training my son!" The armored giant was half again his height, decked out in his full battle apparel save a dull training blade replacing his Great Machete. His opponent was breathing hard, his body encumbered by as much dead weight as possible for his own equipment while enchanted for heaviness. "Your strength is great, perhaps even surpassing mine at your age. However, how can you make use of such a resource when you don't know how to do so?"_

 _A massive blow launched the smaller of the two into the air with a single swipe despite the crushing weight of both the target and the weapon. A resounding crash echoed._

" _My son… you aren't leaving until you figure this out. Even if I must call your mother to patch you up before we continue."_

-but missed as he suddenly back stepped. The sudden move left the Kobold over extended, his back totally unguarded.

The giant did not hesitate even for a second to slide behind and capitalize on the opportunity for a lethal strike. It was like Lordran all over again, but worse due to lack of a shield to parry with.

Nevertheless, the back stab destroyed whatever durability his [Poor Iron Greatsword] had left, the blade snapping at the guard and leaving him blade less. In return, he saw two health bars had emptied and the lord only had one full and one halfway. In his mind it was a good trade off.

Now, however, he was weaponless.

"Now, Attack!"

Desruc over the kneeling Kobold's shoulders, and was graced with the sight of a veritable army of people crashing down in his direction. At first he suspected they were going to attack him, but viewing many of them engage the [Ruin Sentinels] and observing one of his few friends –namely Klein and Kirito – taking advantage of the stunned Kobold to attack.

Much to his confusion though, they circled the enemy and hastily approached him. Kirito made to hack at the creature, but Klein approached him and motioned for him to listen. He complied.

"Desruc, as nice as it is to see you here. You have to leave as soon as Illfang is defeated, if you don't then-" Whatever Klein had to say was cut off as the previously stunned boss had enough of experiencing its health chipping away and let out a roar so powerful, it pushed back everyone away except Desruc. The beast then proceeded to throw its arms to the ground and reach behind him for… another weapon.

The weaponless giant began to panic, realizing that he was practically defenseless. A moment later a searing pain accompanied by a deep cut appeared over his torso, tearing muscle and spilling precious like fluid on the ground, confirming his fears on the subject. Rather than move away to gain some distance and treat his wounds, Desruc instead let to the side, missing the new weapon hitting anything other than his thighs.

The arms Illfang previously discarded were still present, and he ran to them. From the side, he noticed the others holding back Illfang by sheer value of numbers and carefully coordinated attacks meant to limit its mobility. In a few more moments, Desruc grabbed the discarded buckler in his left and the similarly forgotten axe in his right.

They fit perfectly in his hands.

[Congratulations, due to a new performance of an action, a new skill(s) have been realized. **Backstab** : Hit a momentarily stunned enemy from behind for a critical strike, dealing damage equal to 50% of the enemies' Maximum health **. Quickstep:** Hastily disengage from an opponent by stepping out of their reach or into their guard, momentarily stunning them]

There was no need to adjust this grip on the perfectly sized equipment. They were both light, but he gave both of them a lazy swing to test their weight. It was perfect.

"Ahh!" A sudden scream of absolute agony echoed. Turning heads, it was discovered one unfortunate player had mistimed his attacks and suffered for it. An exceedingly strong downward smash of a [Ruin Sentinel's] mace obliterating the poor boy's left leg from the knee down. As he fell, the monsters fell upon him in droves, quickly sending him screaming to death in absolute agony as he was recently crushed into fine paste.

The army hesitated.

That was all Illfang needed to turn the tables on them with a forward spinning leap that bisected a dozen players at once, spraying gore and innards to anyone close by. The death of so many at once sent the sensitive people into a panic, which in turn let Illfang slaughter more and more.

By the time Desruc could reach them, a quarter had been reduces to puddles of gore. He rushed Illfang, determined to stop him from killing anymore people. He might not care for these people, but his friends were in that crowd somewhere.

Illfang saw him closing in and roared, summoning dozens more [Ruin Sentinels] to keep the players busy. The Kobold Lord then proceeded to leap high into the air, jumping from pillar to pillar in an amazing display of acrobatics. It not only made him harder to locate, but most likely would increase the damage he dealt upon its execution.

It jumped randomly between four pillars, then attacked. The sudden execution form a dead angle cut deeply into Desruc's left thigh and he was forced to lean on one of the pillars. While the pillar supported him, it now forced Illfang to attack upfront as he could no longer blindside him.

Illfang saw the crippled player and eagerly went straight for the kill. It raised its nodachi over head as it descended, eager for a powerful cleave that would bisect any foe into two pieces.

"Watch out!"

As the warning came, Desruc registered a razor sharp nodachi screaming towards his face-.

" _If this hits you, it will leave you unable to train for a week. You cannot dodge, not block it. What will you do my son?"_

The blade came down hard, but a sweep of his left hand swept the blade as it was just inches away from bisecting him. Illfang was wide open form the parry and Desruc wasted no time with smashing his axe deep into Illfangs head, holding it in place with his left hand, before winding up into a powerful downward slice that sent the Kobold Lord's bisected remains flying across the room in a shower of gore. His Nodachi dropped as soon as he was launched over the stunned players' heads.

The giant did not hesitate to claim the razor sharp weapon as his trophy.

[Congratulations! You have beaten Illfang the Kobold Lord! The second Level is now available!]

Reveling in the afterglow of his hard earned win, Desruc did not notice the many eyes and blades turn to him in hostility.

 **TWTACLAEOA**

It took a few seconds to come to terms with their victory, but when they did, they were ready.

Kibau let out a derisive sneer as he motioned to Diabel, who was somewhat irked for a reason he could not comprehend. The blue knight caught his gesture and simply nodded in approval, he then turned to any supporters and motioned them to follow Kibau's lead. About three dozen players with full health gauges stepped forward, fully intent on taking down aa potential threat to their future. Everyone were simply clueless to the events while basking in the afterglow of victory or too afraid to stop them.

Diabel stayed behind, easing those that seemed tense, while Kibau did the dirty deed. It hadn't been long, but the two had begun a relationship, a silent agreement of sorts. Diabel the ultimate image of all that was ideal: He was charismatic, good looking, had an excellent temper, emboldened those under him and enforced righteousness. Kibou was the necessary evil: he would bring up touchy subjects, stir up crowds into a murderous countenance with the way he twisted events, he was foul mouthed, and had little care for anything that did not serve his wants.

With Diabel at the lead and Kibau as his hidden left hand, he only needed one more figure to create his own personal group, one that would elevate him to greatness. It didn't matter if he did not get the [Last Attack Bonus] form the first boss, although seething inside he knew there were more chances in the future to raise his name.

The little usurper may have stolen his first chance at fame and glory, but today assured that future repetitions of such a thing would be… moot. Yes, their current obstacle would be removed today.

"There he is! That guy just attacked me out of the blue in the town limits! Take him down before he attacks someone outside of towns!" Like guilible sheep, his followers earnestly nodded, readying their weapons for the inevitable attack on one lone, but largely intimidating player.

"Hey there, remember me?" KIbau asked derisively as he approached his wounded target. While he was a mere dozen meters away, he could see that his target had bulked up considerably since their last meeting. He was no longer just literal skin and bones, but a large frame of early developing mesomorph muscles. Despite his more intimidating appearance, Kibau spotted the various deep wounds across his thigh and torso, as well as the fact that he was using the pillar to support himself. Easy Prey.

"Spiky…man" The massive player replied, he tensed up upon seeing the armed group. Good, he knew what was coming. He held the previous floor Boss' weapons tightly. "Why… here?"

"For you of course!" With that statement, Kibau charged ahead. This seemed to be the signal the rest of the group needed to initiate their own charge. The cactus-styled brunette had the first strike, but it was blocked. His followers however had no such limitation, they moved around the massive buckler and struck at his vulnerable sides. The large player let out a pained howl at the attacks to his person, a tone that expressed both physical and emotional distress.

None of the attacking players noticed their normally green cursor turn orange upon landing their first attack on their target.

 **TWTACLAEOA**

Desruc howled as his body was hacked at by those he fought beside no earlier than minutes before. There were too many of them to push off, and they were intent to cause him bodily harm. No choice, he dint want to do this, but if this kept up he would have to permanently take care of them. Ignoring the wound, he brought his conquest claimed weapon for a devastating arc in front of him-

" _My little giant, please endure! They may hurt you, but you can take it! Don't let rage overcome your actions!"_

 _His mother's pleas halted him fist just as it was about to turn another dozen angry villagers into pulp. Her cooling words let him temper the boiling rage inside of him into a more rational form. Instead of crushing those in front of him-_

-and rolled away, the axe coming down to create a plume of dust as his cover to escape. He saw a two avenues of escape, oen was crowded by dozens upon dozens of stunned people, the other was a glowing light, which would hopefully allow him to escape somewhere else.

Realizing the truth in Klein's words form earlier, Desruc schooled himself of his anger at he general crowd, realizing their inaction for ignorance rather than omission. Instead he focused his anger at one in particular.

He gazed at the shining doorway, and made a leap towards it.

He would be back, but stronger. No longer would they be able to blindside him.

" **Yes, that rage! Let it burn and consume all! I shall be your guide to more power. Simply follow and I will turn you into an unstoppable force of nature in time!"**

In a flash of light, the raiding party saw only a group of orange players and four of them saw their target was now gone. Klein clenched his fists.

"Desruc… good luck"

 **A/N: Not as long as I would prefer, but manageable. Let me know your thoughts, likes and dislikes. Later!**


	8. Growth Spurt and Recon

Upon arriving on the next floor, Desruc knew he had to escape the area as soon as possible. The towns were not safe for him, they were gathering spots for treacherous snakes like 'spiky man'. Loathe as he was to abandon his few friends, he realized he should have heeded the dark voice at the back of his mind and gotten stronger. If only he was strong enough, he would have no need to run away like he did.

He limped away, the leg injury impeding his progress somewhat out of the town's borders to find sustenance.

" **See? I told you so! In any case, you've grown quite a bit since our last conversation, so I see no need to consume the [Dark Soul] at this point. It has a far greater purpose now than it did before. I hate to admit it, but I was wrong to tell you to consume it. You would do well to keep it until the time is right."**

As much as he wanted to ask just what this so called 'greater purpose' was, there were more pressing matters at the moment.

[Congratulations! Due to a unique action being performed, a new skill has been created: **Blackhand:** Allows one to use the weapons of enemies as their own so long as certain conditions are met. First, the enemy must have the weapon equipped upon having been defeated. Second, the enemy intentionally discards the target weapons or the enemy must no longer have physical possession of the weapon. Note that **Blackhand** will not activate if the weapon in question is still in use by the enemy]

Another skill. That was an excellent addition to his arsenal. A small consolation prize he supposed.

He reached the town borders, the outer boundaries of the area consisted of grasslands, populated with large, bulky creatures on all fours with horns. He looked at them and found them not too meaty and but easy pickings as they calmly grazed the fields. The yellow markers over them indicated their lack of awareness of his presence. He wondered if there were larger versions of them if he traveled farther up ahead.

" **Yes, this one. Feast upon their flesh, and grow ever stronger!"**

He didn't need to be told twice to begin his wholesale slaughter of the helpless creatures in front of him. He left a massive trail of bodies for his own consumption later on.

 **TWTACLAEOA**

One of the first things Kirito did once he saw his giant companion leaping through the teleporter gate to the next floor was to grab Asuna and follow after him. Unfortunately, this had the effect of blowing her hood off. When they reached their destination, Kirito looked back to ensure his partner's condition and forgot to breathe.

The girl in front of him was cute, exceedingly graceful as well to the point of excessiveness. He could not look away from her silky chestnut brown hair, nor her matching soft eyes and smooth skin. She was akin to a masterfully constructed work of art given the breath of life. His breath resumed when she spoke.

"Kirito, don't' just grab me, warn me next time!" Her verbal lashing didn't register much to Kirito, for he was still in a trance. She took no notice of this and attempted to pull her hood up, but let it fall. He'd already seen her face, there was no point hiding anyway. "Anyways, we're here for 'him' right?"

"Yeah, Why else? Come one we have to find him before the others do" He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, not giving the fact that she'd involuntarily put a negative emphasis on 'him' any indication that he'd heard it. Asuna inwardly cursed, even looking at the circumstances, it was hard to see her former companion as a victim due to the slight trauma she'd experience in their brief stint together.

She absent-mindedly followed the boy throughout the town to, not noticing the brief flash of regret flash across his eyes instead of genuine worry. They paused at an NPC merchant and he bought a map of the city "This place is as large as the first floor!"

After thoroughly analyzing the map of the town, Kirito suggested they travel in an outward spiral to cover as much ground as possible, thus, the first place they traveled was the market stands that surrounded them. Asuna followed his lead, her mind wandering elsewhere as they traveled the moment.

Had she overreacted? Was 'he' so bad that she would let him die if she could stop it? The only thing he'd killed so far were regular Mobs, albeit gruesomely, but still never actual living people! Her past actions and attitude were making her question her own bias and moral standards. If she herself could not see what was underneath the surface of what was presented to her, how she to be any better than that… that…

No way was she anything like that Nobuyuki bastard!

A shiver traveled through the length of her spine at the mere thought of being similar to that repulsive slimeball in any form or thought.

"Asuna, is there something the matter?" Apparently, her anxiety was apparent enough that even her competent eye-candy of a companion caught to it. Why couldn't he just be cute, but oblivious?

"Huh?" The eloquent response escaped her lips, as she realized that they had slowed down to a halt. Rather, she had, and Kirito noticed. She flushed in embarrassment at being caught daydreaming during what was supposed to be a search that became riskier by the minute. "Oh, it's nothing, I just thought I had an idea where he may be…"

Not a complete lie.

She certainly did. If she knew him enough of his activities, he would be in an area teeming with mobs to kill and… sate his dietary needs. Now where could that possibly be? Where such a high concentration of Mobs would be located at?

"Kirito, do you know where a high concentration of Mobs is located on this floor? If my suspicions are right, he may be in that area, you know… to level up?"

"Now that you mention it, I do. If this floor hasn't shifted the spawning points for the Mobs since the Beta stages…" The boy rubbed his chin deep in thought, Asuna found it a welcome distraction from her own thoughts. "West, if I'm right. Those Oxen are both numerous and tough, but from what I saw him capable of doing to the Boss, they should pose little trouble for him. It's a bit dangerous at our current level, but those guys usually roam in groups so we'll only have to deal with strays."

Asuna nodded, they were one step closer.

 **TWTACLAEOA**

The [Rampaging Oxen] rushed towards him in an attempt to impale him on one of its massive horns, but he absent-mindedly smashed it aside with his buckler and lopped its head off with his ax. In truth, it would not have mattered if he did get hit. In the last few hours he had the field all to himself, and he rigorously gorged himself on the foolishly oncoming hordes of Mobs, killing one heard, feasting on them, then moving on to the next. It was an arduous cycle, but one that procured great results.

It that time span, he'd consumed over a dozen entire herds. Not that he'd bothered counting, he had someone else doing that for him.

" **Yeah, it's good to be appreciated. You better be grateful, brat. I'm the one working my ass off managing your intake of material and immaterial sustenance. Do you know how hard it is to break down all that meat you've been consuming and condense it in such a way that it not only adds to your ever-developing frame but muscle and bone density as well? This doesn't even include the fact that I have to even out the distribution of hormones as well to not cause-"**

While the odd voice inside his head no longer felt as sinister as it initially did, its constant rants were slightly annoying. That was fine, though, silence reminded him of his times in Lordran and the sheer anticipation its constant deathly silent ambushes-

" _My son, aren't you delighted? You're going to be a big brother soon…"_

 _Her melodious voice echoed left a sign in the very air. She happily patted the swelling belly, but for all the cheer she constantly put into her every movement, she still could not escape her true nature._

 _Fear echoed through her very being for the child, for their family._

 _Even he, as young as he was, could see it._

-shaking out of the now more frequent flashbacks to such an unfamiliar, but nostalgic scene, he looked upon his most recent kill, the beheaded oxen laying in the bloodied earth with several dozens of its kind, it had been the last of the herd. Now he would begin feasting.

If only to forget the painful twinge in his chest whenever the memory unwittingly appeared.

" **Well look at you now! Thanks to my management skills and your hard work, you now have a body that we can really be proud of showing off! Go on, take a look at the river ahead."**

Quietly complying, Desruc finished off what remained of the mob and headed to the nearby river. He'd killed so many, the water was now dark reddish tint from the leaked life blood. It was blurry, but he could see the defined state his body turned out to be.

His body wasn't toned to show off every fiber of muscle on his body, it had been painstakingly crafted and trained for unleashing great strength and retaining equal endurance. His body was large, his muscles now properly resting in their intended areas and built to endure far more punishment naturally than all but the toughest metals. But he noticed he wasn't as bulky as he imagined to himself to be after such large amounts of consumption.

It was almost as if he was still growing.

Placing the thought aside for the moment, he took note of just how much _lighter and smaller_ the ax in his hand weighed. He'd dismissed it as having gotten used to the weight, but not here. It was like swinging around a tree Brach with the way he could move it around

" **Just like your father…"**

He immediately tensed up at the comment. Had he a father? Of course, he did, that was how he came to be of course. He was the woke up in a prison cell in the Undead Asylum, surely his life before-

" _Dear, why don't you give your body a rest Look at our son here. He has the right idea in laying down" The person that addressed the man reached only up to his knees, she gazed up as the man was still training with his arms and armor so weighed down, he might as well have been wearing and swinging around a mountain with little exertion._

 _The woman gestured to a miniature version of the man, who was about half his size, but wearing the exact amount of training gear. He groaned in a weak attempt to pick himself off the ground, but could not due to the extreme weight. The constant sparring and exercises with his father for the last few hours had exhausted him too much to even move._

" _He needs more training if he is to take over my duties in the future" The massive figure continued to relentlessly push his body in practiced sweeps and powerful blows, sneaking in a quick smash with his shield to stun an opponent only he could see. "I won't be here forever"_

" _I know, but please… at least be there for our daughter" Her pleas were laced with quivering fear, and that brought the relentless giant out of his concentration. He placed his training gear off to their respective positions and hauled his miniature version off the ground._

" _I promise, dear. Now, let's have some dinner, the court can surely wait a bit longer"_

The visions were getting stronger, and more familiar. They were replacing what he knew to be his life as the Chosen Undead that linked the flames, as…

As what?

All of his visions pointed to the fact that he had a loving family. Albeit with his mother being half his size and his father more than double of his own. It also pointed to the fact that he was not the Chosen Undead from Lordran, but why? Why did he have two sets of memories from two completely different lives? It was incredibly frustrating.

He wanted answers, but somehow, the muted silence in his head told him he would get none at this time.

"Who…me?"

Questioning his own identity was surely a sign of madness, but why else would he do so? Why else would anyone with split memories do so? Wasn't it the sanest thing to do to question what was reality or illusionary?

 **TWTACLAEOA**

"Dammit, Kibau. You let him escape!" Diabel scolded the impulsive male. The two were in the boss room, they were the only two in the room, everyone else had gone to explore the second floor, and he had not given out the map free in the auction house. There was a good chance they were both alone at the moment, he could freely berate his newest underling. I gave you that level of authority because you sounded so confident in taking down an injured player. How did he escape? What will we do if word spreads? The glory and recognition we both crave for will disappear!"

"Asshole smashed the ground up a few millimeters enough to cause a dust cloud, apparently a bit more and he would have reached the actually indestructible parts of Aincrad" Kibau threw his hands in the air. His cursor was now green, but he was frustrated due tot the fact that he only had a select few more chances to carry out the plan before he could no longer enter cities unless he did an extremely troublesome solo quest. Apparently you could not get a permanent Orange cursor on you due the very new Death Mechanic that that Nobuyuki was talking about.

[Death: Upon reaching zero health, the player will revive from in the first floor, keeping all Experience, Souls and equipment and Cor, but losing all unspent experience souls and any equipment boosted to more than 80% of its maximum potential. Pain of death will carry over to the newly revived for ten consecutive minutes, and lost items may be retrieved by the owner on the same spot they were slayed it, the drops are locked to the previous owner, but will unlock for anyone else if the player is killed before reclaiming their lost items.]

Diabel had initially been doubtful about the facts, but he had personally seen one of the people he's seen reduced into a fine paste, alive. But that was it, the man was simply staring off into space, his will seeming to have shattered from the ten minutes of death upon his revival. His eyes were empty.

Diabel mentally shivered. What would he do if he was killed, and had to endure the pain of his death for ten consecutive minutes? Would his will break too?

That Nobuyuki person may have made death impossible, eliminating the possibility of actual death… but now there was something far worse than death. A continuous cycle of death and revival, but with a set time of unmitigated pain from the previous death inflicted as payment? He was one scary son of a bitch.

Even if he wanted to be showered in praise with little care of who he stepped on to get there, even he had to draw the line there.

Which was why he was only limiting himself to one person. Namely Kibou's obsession, why would he care? The player didn't seem very popular either if the number who openly supported his death was any indication. Thought that was the whole 'carry over the pain of death to revival' thing. Should he spread the word, people would be far more wary of harm to their person and may refuse high-risk missions as his meat shields, but be grateful for the information. Should he keep this under wraps, people would still be his willing meat shields, but for how long? Long term versus Short term benefits.

"If we can make his death as painful as possible, there's no way, he's coming back from that!" Kibou practically shouted at the top of his lungs in glee. Diabel continued to ponder, as his assistant listed off ideas.

"Laughing Coffin"

"Huh?"

"That will be the name of my personal army I will have you create. Players with no remorse for killing other players, and you'll be leading them" Diabel announced. This got Kibau actually mulling over the idea. The knight decided to prod the man deeper. "Thinks about it? Our own private army! Our enemies would be silenced with the very literal threat on the pain of death from the shadows. While on the surface we rake in riches, fame and recognition!"

An unpleasant grin formed over the single-minded Kibau. They extended their arms and shook it. It was to be the ultimate secret partnership formed in secret.

"Now then, let us begin!"

Unfortunately for them, one of the best information broker in Aincrad had heard the entire conversation and hightailed it the moment they sealed the deal.

 **TWTACLAEOA**

"W-what happened here?" Klein was in shock and so was Agil. Hours earlier, the two coincidentally met up with Asuna and Kirito who were both heading out of town. Since neither of the boys knew where to go, they simply decided to tag along, essentially forming a party. Now they found themselves in a field that was supposedly inhabited by countless herds of viscous Oxen type mobs.

Instead, the once golden grass fields were stained red as the river with blood. In the distance, a suspicious figure could be seen sitting with a pile of dead Mob carcasses beside him. Judging from the size of the piled carcasses, he was extremely large if he easily dwarfed them just by sitting down. All four could only think of one person who had such immense size.

'Desruc'

As they approached his resting figure, they noticed a great difference. He wasn't just double their size, he was absolutely immense. His previous size a few hours earlier did no justice to his current frame. It proved just how much had changed when he noticed their arrival and stood up.

When Kirito first met Desruc, he only reached up to his stomach or chest, and just as wide, the man was all literal skin and bones. Now, he stood tall, incredibly defined muscles bulged, adorning and filling out every inch of his formerly skeletal frame. He also seemed to have grown taller, because now he would be lucky to even reach his waist while tiptoed, and he would never even we able to reach end to end using his own fingers on his wide shoulders. What initially looked like dark, wrinkled skin, now seemed to be gray and tough skin hiding smaller defining muscles and letting out only the larger ones show on the surface. At the moment, he only had a loin cloth preserving his decency and a face covering that leaked blood through it.

He was absolutely massive now. Even larger that Illfang ever could be. Looking on the carcass piled up beside him, Kirito could only imagine just how much he ate to grow to such proportions. His eyes flickered to the weapons he held, a familiar buckler and ax that was far too large for any player to lift, bit looked several sizes too small to be comfortable now.

"Why…here? Hunt… me?"

His voice was deeper and grating, his larger hands gripped his weapon tightly. Some of them tensed up as well.

"Wait. Wa~it!" Klein quickly got in between the two parties, notably facing their giant friend. They had just reunited, no way was he not stopping the rising tension. "Desruc! We're not here to fight you! You remember I warned you to run right?"

Desruc noticeably relaxed and so did everyone else in response. Still he was waiting for an answer, something only the most mature of the group noticed. "We wanted to help you, with Kibau on your nipping on your heels, we kind of just banded together I guess. I'm sorry we have not been formally introduced. Agil."

Taking initiative, Kirito made his decision.

Green Cursor [Desruc]. Party invite sent.

Accepted. Desruc is now in your party.

[Congratulations! By making a party with a randomly chosen player with the [Soul Art] unlocked, you too have unlocked [Soul Art].

[Soul Level]: The number of levels gained using the [Soul] mechanic. Every level up will save all the character's progress into the player's physical brain, which can be applied to real life. After level 250, all addition levels afterward will be a multiply the character's base stats by that amount. There is no Max level for this.

[Self-Augmentation]: Players will have stats which will make reflect their real world ability. Since every movement done in SAO is done in the real world, players will increase their in-game stats as soon as they increase their real-world stats. Their physiques will also change due to the tight relationship between their real and virtual bodies.

[Soul]: A secondary leveling system that positively affects all Character Stats on reaching a certain thresh hold. All souls not spent on leveling up are lost upon character death. Monsters only drop 1% of their Experience as Souls. Once the Max Level using Experience, all addition experience gained will be converted into souls.]

Kirito's eyes widened, was it really possible to get in shape simply by playing the game extensively? His eyes wandered to Desruc and shivered at the very real possibility of meeting him in real life. Was it even physically possible for anyone to grow to such immense proportions in the first place?

He spotted his normal levels in white then a number in blue, which he assumed to be his Souls Level due to having no numerical value to it yet. Everyone had SL of 0. Desruc's SL was… 30, in addition to his normal level of 20.

"Wow, there was such a mechanic? I'm not sure whether to be happy I can totally get ripped just exercising, or upset that there is probably going to be some unpleasant method involved" Klein voiced everyone's thoughts. None of them would have to worry about their bodies degrading due to inactivity and atrophy.

Desruc nodded before turning to each member of the team.

"Kirito" The boy looked relieved

"Klein" The man beamed.

"Asuna" The girl nervously fidgeted.

"Agil" The man smiled.

 **TWTACLAEOA**

Argo ran. She ran as fast as she could to the [Town of Beginnings]'s teleporter. As she did so, she reviewed the new mechanics of the game added in after the bastard Nobuyuki took over.

Hollowing.

Death.

Souls.

Self-Augmentation.

With all these things there were so many new options opened up. Plus the 'let's team up and take over the world' plot she'd discovered accidently. Really this information was worth a fortune, but if she waited long enough for someone to buy it, the plot may have already succeeded. The information had to get to the right hands to prevent such a thing.

Many people came to mind as she scanned her contacts list, many of them beta testers like herself. However, none of them fit the bill.

None of them except…

'Come on Ki-bou, I hope this is worth it'

Her fingers flying over the virtual board, she arranged a meeting with her most trusted client.

 **A/N: Huh, Pretty short. I'm out of steam for this one at the moment, time to go back to Sheathed Arrows!**

 **Review Please!**


End file.
